


Begin Again

by Lizz_Bloom



Category: EXO (Band), Infinite (Band), K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-03-05 14:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 43,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18830626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizz_Bloom/pseuds/Lizz_Bloom
Summary: Lee Nayoung's debut involves the realization of her dreams and some love conflicts.





	1. Trainee

Lee Nayoung received the great news of the debut of Venus Vixens. She had trained since she was twelve, becoming an expert in dance and singing. She tried to show the audience that she was not another pretty face among the crowd of idols, mainly because she would debut in a group of four girls with the backing of SM Entertainment.

During his stay there Nayoung got acquainted with many idols and trainees, among his main friends were Yixing, Sehun and Irene

Her shirt was soaked with sweat when she decided to stop dancing, she was practicing the song with which Venus Vixens would debut. She put stop to the music and took her things.

It was already eleven o'clock when she found herself waiting at the bus stop alone. After a few minutes she heard the steps of a couple approaching. They said cheesy things to each other that seemed pretty and the boyfriend placed kisses on her girlfriend's nose, it was a pretty tender scene, a scene that broke Nayoung's heart.

Seconds later her mind wandered among her memories. The smell of salt and the cool breeze hit her face. Myungsoo had invited her to the Han River to celebrate their first year as a couple. She could not believe that the boy out of his dreams was at her side smiling exclusively at her. Nayoung hugged him, squeezing him gently with her body. When they weren't recording Myungsoo had to wear dark glasses and a cap to hide his identity in case anyone tried to recognize him. 

Both were part of the same company at the time and were recording the new Dating Infinite program. At first, some fans had objected, but most seemed happy with the result. The boys had to have appointments with whom the public voted as their best complement. All the girls on the show were Woollim trainees who had been promised to debut in a matter of weeks.

Of the ten programs they had filmed until then, in seven of them Nayoung and Myungsoo were partners. Once she was paired with Dongwoo with whom she did not stop laughing and two times she was paired with Sunggyu who had even dedicated a song to her. She did not like to admit it, but Nayoung was one of the popular girls, she had a charisma that attracted people, her scores in Dating Infinite surveys were always the highest and even so the girl tried her best in any of her workouts.

That program had allowed them to hide their relationship in public. His second option was to date somewhere in the company. L was a public person and he rarely dared to go to the apartment that Nayoung shared with the other trainees.

The bus stopped in front of Nayoung, bringing her back to reality. Nayoung stood up and went on the bus. She sat by the window watching the lights of the city. Time passed without realizing it and suddenly she found himself going up the small hill to get to the apartment. Her cell phone rang with a beautiful melody that Yixing and she composed in the past.

"Do you think I can come to see you? " the boy asked on the other side of the line. Nayoung took a few seconds to respond

"I do not think it's a good idea" she reminded him. He was also an Idol and had many fans willing to kill her, and she was not so excited about having dates with someone from the same company. Yixing and she liked each other from the start, the attraction between them was evident to miles, as he smiled tenderly and she listened to him paying full attention, but there were two problems. One, Myungsoo and she had just finished their relationship and two, she had had to leave Wollim to prevent the press from publishing images of her and Myungsoo kissing. This time she did not wanted to risk her career, she did not want her dreams to truncate again.

Yixing's voice brought her back to reality

"Nayoung?" The boy was standing in front of her shaking his hands in front of her eyes, without a mask, glasses, scarf or a cap to conceal his identity. Nayoung could not help laughing.

"You're crazy," she said as they made their way back to the apartment. Yixing followed immediately. He loved to see her smile even though he knew that the news he would share tonight would sadden both of them.

Nayoung prepared two hot chocolates and left them on the table in front of them. Winter had come strong, whitening the streets with its snow. Yixing was sitting on the small couch smiling shyly. Their eyes met and both blushed. Nayoung really enjoyed his company, she felt very comfortable by his side. Again, she found herself lost in the boy's kind gaze. His eyes transmitted an indescribable calm and reability.

"There is already a date for our debut" announced Nayoung, Yixing smiled from ear to ear

"Congratulations!" His words came out at the same time he wrapped the girl in his arms " I know what it means to you" he hurry to say to avoid thinking about the close contact between them. Then to break the awkward moment Yixing sipped his chocolate, and sit back at the sofa

"I'm going to China" the boy released at once. Nayoung was happy for him, but she understood that the absence of a smile on Yixing's face meant bad news "maybe for several months or years" his voice became a faint whisper with the last word. The girl's sweet features saddened

"perhaps I cannot be here for your debut"

Nayoung wondered if this was a bad joke of fate. She could not have such bad luck. She could not lose every boy she was fond of.

The atmosphere of the place turned into a long and deep silence. As if neither of them knew what to say anymore


	2. Debut

Nayoung's debut was just around the corner. The promotional photos began to be launched a week before and the showcase would take place today. The costumes, the sound equipment and the scenery were ready.

The girl's brown hair was dyed at the tips with pink and violet tones giving it a distinctive touch. Finally, his position within the group was defined as lead vocalist and leader. The other members Kim, Leila and Sohee were nice girls with whom she got along, although she did not know them very well because his training in SM barely reached six months.

When the pictures of her and Myungsoo came to the Wollim's CEO she believed that her artistic career was completely ruined. There was no doubt that the company would do what it could to protect Myungsoo, but she was not sure what they would do for her. The CEO, despite his annoyance, tried to explain to them that he could move his influences and prevent the photos from being published, but that they should undertake another solution or the future of both could be affected.  
The solution was for Nayoung to be transferred to SM Entertainment in order to guarantee her protection. Also, he made it clear that they should end their relationship unless they were willing to risk their careers. That night Myungsoo accompanied Nayoung to his house and in tears promised the girl that one day they would be together again.

Weeks later the new girl group from Woollim debuted while Nayoung was still struggling to excel among the other SM trainees.

Her mind stayed busy the rest of the day. After the showcase they would go to MCountdown to record their first show on television. Nayoung had to concentrate because she did not want to fail the few fans who showed interest in her. She started vocalizing half an hour earlier. Her long straight hair reached her waist reflecting the flashes of colors. She wore a cute white sweater that went down to his hips almost covering the black shorts with silver flashes and finally a pair of high-heeled boots that reached above her knees.

The stage lights went out and the MC introduced them, naming them one by one. The lights went on again revealing each member in their position, the music began to sound and the audience clap with euphoria.

Everything had gone well, the interviews, the execution of the choreographies and in spite of the nervousness the vocal part was also a success. As soon as they returned to the backstage, a tumult of people approached them, between makeup artists, coordinators and their manager, it was difficult to understand what they were trying to say. Nayoung paid special attention to the words of her manager who confirmed their attendance at MCountdown in one hour.

The girls managed to move between fans and they were able to get into the van that would transport them to the new location. They had to sing two songs, a ballad and their main single. Nayoung was no longer so nervous, she had practiced hundreds of times for that moment and did not intend to ruin it.

Upon leaving the van, a group of fans received them demonstrating their support with signs and drawings that filled her with happiness. Her dream was finally coming true.   
Several groups were found inside the building, the girls waved shyly at each of them. VIXX, Lovelyz, Red Velvet and many others were there to present their songs. Finally, the girls arrived in their simple dressing room. They were still a new group so they did not enjoy many privileges. That did not bother Nayoung, she just wanted the audience to hear her sing.

A few hours passed before their turn came just before the main act of the night. Nayoung and her members conducted a small interview and then positioned themselves in their places. Nayoung's angelic voice flooded the ears of everyone present and the lively chorus allowed the audience to cheer them up. The music stopped, but the hearts of the girls were beating strongly. The cameras stopped filming to focus on the final act of the night.

INFINITE.

Nayoung’s body froze, she only felt Sohee's hand guiding her towards the exit and then time stopped. Myungsoo appeared in front of her dressed in a white jacket, black pants, her forehead uncovered and her intense gaze fixed only on her. Nayoung barely bowed, unable to process anything else before feeling Sohee's pull dragging her into the dressing room.


	3. Flowers

Once in the dressing room, she could sigh deeply. Myungsoo's eyes were still riveted on her mind, torturing her and pushing her completely away from reality. That meeting had been so uncomfortable, so strange and so special. It was the first time they had been face to face since their breakup. They had not spoken again and in recent months Nayoung had focused so much on his debut that she could not think of anything at all. She devoted her body and soul to training.

Once the event was over, Venus Vixens returned to their apartment to rest. The schedule the next day included a lot of activities that would hardly give them time to sleep.

When the girls were already in their pajamas and without a drop of makeup someone knocked on the door.

Nayoung smiled, holding back the urge to hug him. She hears a few murmurs from her friends, but she preferred to ignore them. Yixing also smiled at her while he handed her a huge bouquet of flowers

“Congratulations” he told the girl “I'm very proud of you”  
“Thank you” she reply with that seeet voice of her  
Nayoung invited him inside and both of them sit on the couch  
Lay's hair was now darker than usual and tiredness reflected in his gentle face.  
“Thank you for coming” said Nayoung “I really wanted you to be on this special day”  
“I only came for a few hours” he warned “I must return to China” the brown haired girl tried to smile at her friend, but the weak smile soon vanishes “it's sad that we can not see each other more often” and he tried to comfort her  
“There will be time later, the debut is always the most difficult stage because you have to attend many events” Nayoung nodded “I must leave” Yixing said, standing up “ there is still something that I must fix in SM before my flight” he went at the door and before closing it he deposit a kiss on Nayoung's forehead “see you later Nayi” he whisper in his ear.  
In the distance the heart of a boy broke while watching the scene. It had taken him time to get the new address of his ex-girlfriend but he did not think that when he got there he would find that bitter surprise. He drops the flowers on the ground and chose to return home without fulfilling his goal.

 

Nayoung lay down on her bed, feeling for the first time the fatigue of the day. A triumphant smile appeared on his face as his eyes closed completely.


	4. Competition

Nayoung's schedule was full of interviews, presentations and autograph signings. The little time they had Venus Vixens were dedicated to practice the choreography for their new song.

The public had received them with enough acceptance converting them into a trend in several websites. Many fans remembered Nayoung for Dating Infinite and to her surprise, she had run into several photoshop works between her and Myungsoo. It seemed ironic to her the turns that life gave.

She closed her laptop and went directly to sleep. She had time without talking to Yixing, despite the messages that were sent the agenda of both did not coincide, making it difficult to even answer through a text. She checked her cell phone for the last time and when she found her empty inbox she preferred to close her eyes to sleep deeply.

In the morning, her manager woke her up, informing her that they would attend an event with a senior group, although he did not specify who was that group.   
When arriving at the place of the event, the sports decoration of the site seemed to attract public's attention.   
A staff member handed them a pair of sports suits and told the girls the way to the locker room. Once changed, they were explained that they would form pairs with four members of a group and that they would compete among themselves to determine a winner.  
Sohee seemed the most excited of them all, though Kim reminded her to control her instincts. Now hundreds of fans saw them on TV and any false move could ruin their reputation.   
Nayoung made a self reminder too.

She finished arranging her hair in a ponytail and went out with the other members of the group. MC's screams were present when the girls appeared before their fans. Each one was presented individually and then they greeted at unison as the Venus Vixens. Then it was time to receive the other guests

“ They are known for their synchronization and their distinctive songs, we received with a loud applause to INFINITE!” The boys entered, one after another, there were Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun and Myungsoo. Nayoung's heart skipped a beat when she met the boy's dark eyes, who looked away to the MC who was smiling kindly.

The two groups stood waiting for the instructions, but Nayoung felt the heat rise up her body to reach her cheeks, then the MC mentioned the girl's past as Wollim's trainee, Nayoung's legs trembled and she did not think she could speak in a normal voice when someone placed a microphone in her hand

“ You already knew Infinite? Right?” She nodded “ and why don’t you greet them?” He said doing an gesture for the girl to approach them. Nayoung bowed slightly and first squeezed the hand of Sunggyu who muttered something about how sorry he felt, then turned to Dongwoo who greeted her with a smile and said a joke for everyone to laugh, Woohyun was next and finally Myungsoo who faked a smile for the girl, but the squeeze of his hand made her wonder if things were right between them.   
Nayoung walked away again joining his group with laughter and comments from her group who complained about the uncomfortable scene.

When the time came to form partners, Nayoung wish with all her heart that Myungsoo wasn’t her partner. And for her fortune her wish came true. Sunggyu approached her, intertwining their arms with a red band. Both ran to put themselves in their place and compete with the couple of Kim and Woohyun.

The two pairs had to go through a series of obstacles, which began with a huge inflatable mountain that they should climb to cross to the other side and dunk twice before picking up the badge that will allow them to continue to the next phase.

The whistle sounded causing the couples to run with all their might. Despite the jokes of INFINITE, Sunggyu seemed in good condition, He help her to climb and soon they cross to the other side. She dunk first and out of the corner of her eye she could see that Kim and Woohyun were approaching them, but Sunggyu had also basked allowing them to advance through the badge.   
Now they only had to face the next winner of the first round. Nayoung leaned on her knees trying to get the air back, took a little water and paid attention to the next competition. Myungsoo and Sohee were ahead of the game and soon showed off their badges.

"Great" whispered Nayoung under her breath.

Both groups took a few minutes to rest and once they were indicated they returned to form pairs. The winning teams positioned themselves next to each other. Nayoung felt like Myungsoo was looking at her with a kind of resentment that she was not able to decipher but somehow it hurt her.  
The whistle sounded again, the heat flooding thought Myungsoo’s body who came forward to climb the inflatable mountain first and get off before anyone else. He saw Nayoung running after him and tried not to pay attention, but the girl slipped and it was impossible not to return to help her.

Nayoung could feel Myungsoo's arms preventing her from falling to the ground and hitting herself. She looked into his eyes for several seconds while her heart was pounding  
“Are you ok?” the boy asked, the concern was evident in his voice

“yes” she assured trying to stand up, the moment then was interrupted by the arrival of Kim and Sunggyu with a gesture of concern

“Have you hurt yourself?” Kim asked, Nayoung denied shaking his head slightly. The MC had also reached them

“ Do you want to take a break?”

“No” again she denied and then Nayoung notice that she was still holding Myungsoo's hand, she thanked the boy for his help and returned to the exit with the rest of Venus Vixens

After some rest. Both groupps came back. The whistle sounded and they all ran with the same enthusiasm as in the interrupted round, except Nayoung who kept thinking about Myungsoo holdong her hand. She was also thinking about his eyes and how he made her so vulnerable.   
Sunggyu and Nayoung lost but nobody seem to be mad about it. Both groups were having a great time.

Minutes later the program ended, the MC said goodbye to both groups and once the cameras went out, the guys from INFINITE approached Nayoung to say goodbye.

“I can not believe they let you go” Sunggyu commented “I always thought we would do a duet together” Nayoung smiled at him “I'm sure it would be a great song”

"Maybe we can still do it," the girl said, winking at him.   
Sunggyu was the closest to her and she was glad that he considered her a good singer. Myungsoo approached her, extended his hand to squeeze hers and this time he did it so softly, there were so many things that Nayoung wanted to tell him, from how much she missed his kisses to how excited she was to be part of this world. He just smiled at her and in a whisper told her

“ Maybe it's destiny” then he disappeared, but he do not stop being in the thoughts of the girl for the rest of the day.


	5. Friends

The Venus Vixens were traveling in a large SUV owned by SM. Red Velvet would offer her first concert and the girls had been invited to see them from the front row. Irene had already told her how happy she was for the group and Nayoung was sure that it was another step in the successful career of the girls.

While the van was moving in the middle of the night Nayoung allowed herself to close her eyes. In her dreams she could hear a song, but it wasn’t her who sang it but a man. The brunette's eyes opened suddenly and she prepared to write the song or the pieces that she still remembered. She took her backpack to find a notebook and found the necklace that Yixing had given her on her birthday. The only thing she knew about him was that Sehun had visited him in China. She forced herself not to think about him, she took the notebook and wrote as fast as she could. It was a beautiful song, but it was incomplete.   
Nayoung closed the notebook. They had just arrived at their destination.

The concert was very entertaining. The variety between the songs and the energy of the girls ended up infecting the audience. When Wendy's solo arrived, Nayoung's skin crawled because of her amazing talent. Suddenly she felt someone pull the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She turned and found a pair of dark glasses and a hood. She could recognized his features even in the dark

“What do you want?” She ask in a whisper trying to hide the smile that formed on her face

“I want to talk to you” he said. She nodded and told her members that she needed to go to the bathroom.

She followed the boy in the shadows hoping no one would record them while holding hands.

Myungsoo guided her away from the lights until they arrived in a completely dark room. He made sure the door was locked and no one were following them. Then he turned on the flashlight on his cell phone and smiled at the girl.

“I wanted to see you” he said approaching her closer. Nayoung knew him very well, she knew he would kiss her

“Myungsoo” the girl's hands were positioned on his abdomen preventing him from shortening the distance more “I do not want this to end” she whisper, regretting at the same instant that the words came out of her mouth “this is my dream and, I do not want to ruin it” She could not see him clearly, but it was obvious that he was upset. Nayoung also wanted to kiss Myungssoo and tell him that she was willing to go against the world just to be by his side, but she knew that after a while that would affect their relationship, they were still very young and she did not want to promise him something that she would not fulfill

“ Is it because you have a boyfriend?” Myungsoo's voice got darker while asking her. Nayoung looked at him confused waiting for him to explain his question “the day of your debut I went to your apartment, I took you flowers and when I was about to arrive I saw you talking with Lay, I did not know you knew each other” the brunette understood what was he referring to

“He’s not my boyfriend” she explain to him “He’s a friend, I only have meet him one time” Myungsoo interrupted her, something in his expression revealed the pain he was feeling at that moment  
“I was angry to think that he could visit you whenever he wanted” Nayoung took him by the chin raising his face so he could see him directly in the eyes

“I have not forgotten you Myungsoo, I think about you all the time and I wonder if one day in the future we can laugh at all this, you are my first love, but I feel that I met you at a bad time because right now I consider myself the person more selfish, I love what I do and I want to continue doing it for a long time more” Myungsoo understood that feeling, he had also had it before, but now that his group was successful and they did not stop traveling, the passion that he felt every time he was in a scenario it was not the same anymore.   
He walked away from the girl regaining his composure

“Tell me when you have a boyfriend or maybe the next time I see you I may try to kiss you” He warned Nayoung, who just nodded and she let him go into the shadows without saying goodbye.   
She wait a few more minutes and then she left too.


	6. Busan

It was a few hours before the first break since her debut.  
They were recording the last presentation of the girls before concluding their promotion cycle. Nayoung was happy, but also exhausted, for two months they had no time to get enough sleep or to take things slowly, they didn’t even communicate daily with their relatives.

The deserved rest would only last a couple of days, but it was enough to recharge energies and start recording their second mini album. Since her talk with Myungsoo things seemed to improve, they were no longer uncomfortable when they met in the corridors of music shows or when some MC mentioned Nayoung’s past in Dating INFINITE. They had exchanged phone numbers again and once in a while they texted to tell each other good news. INFINITE had just started a world tour that would keep them away from Korea for a couple of months.

Nayoung smiled when she saw the clock and noticed that soon it would be nine o'clock at night ending the musical program. Her suitcase was already ready inside the van that would transport her to her parents' house in Busan.

The path seemed longer than usual, she was so excited that she shared several pictures on the official Instagram of the group. After a few minutes she end up falling asleep.

Nayoung woke up again after two hours, when the truck stopped in front of her parents' house. She went out as soon as she could and ran to hug them just to find someone she didn’t know inside her house

“Who you are? “ She ask with suspicion. Nayoung assumed that he was someone to trust because her parents allowed him to enter their house. The boy was holding a piece of bread in one hand with a giant glass of milk in the other

“I'm Jungkook” He answer surprised, as if something in him could not believe that Nayoung had not recognized him

“Jungkook what?” She insisted crossing her arms and demanding a clearer answer

“Jeon Jungkook” he said again.  
Nayoung gave up, stopped looking at him with suspicion and went to the refrigerator in the kitchen

“And where are my parents? she asked raising her voice a little so that the boy could hear her, but he had already followed her there

“They went out to buy you a cake” he answered. The boy seemed nice, he was taller than Nayoung and had a cool style, except for his hair that looked a little bit messy and that if it wasn’t because he had all the appearance of a normal boy, the brunette would have thought that he was also a ...

“My little girl!” Her mother shouted spreading her arms. Nayoung ran to hug her, kissed her on the forehead and then ran to her father to do the same, although she preferred to kiss him on the cheek.

“I miss you so much” she said before separating from them. He felt Jungkook's gaze and asked with a simple gesture to her mother who was the mysterious guest

“It is our new neighbor” she explain to her without caring that everyone could listen to it “I thought you already knew each other, as they work in the same industry” Nayoung felt that the world came upon her, she couldn’t be so distracted as not to notice that Jungkook in front of her was the same BTS Jungkook. Then she saw how the boy smiled at her mockingly and shrugs his shoulders, as if trying to embarrass her more. Nayoung cheeks blushed bright red

“Excuse me” was all she could mumble before faking a restroom emergency and get away from the confused look of her parents and the mocking smile of her new neighbor.

 

The next morning, with a clear mind and after a long sleep, Nayoung put on a pair of leggings and went running to get a breath of fresh air, she still felt sorry for her slow reaction, but as the mature and responsible adult she pretended to be, she knew she had to let it go or that night would torment her forever. She did not have much opportunity to think about anything else, because her friendly neighbor jogged along with her, greeting her with the same mocking smile from the previous day.

“I feel so stupid” Nayoung released suddenly, she didn’t need the situation to be more uncomfortable than it already was, so she thought that a little sincerity would not hurt anyone

“Don't worry, the truth is that it took me by surprise” Nayoung laughed

“What are you talking about? “ Jungkook took his time to answer, thinking the right words to tell her

“Since debuting, it's the first time I feel like a normal kid again” he paused to catch his breath and then continued “at first not everyone recognized me, but I got used to having attention on me either way" Nayoung nodded in silence to not interrupt him “there are always makeup artists, scriptwriters, managers or even the members of your group who don’t allow you to process what's happening, you feel that you are in the top of the world and little by little you forget that you're a simple mortal” Jungkook let out a deep sigh “ if only I had just one day ...” Nayoung interrupted him by stopping jogging

“I want to peacefully fall asleep intoxicated by your sweet scent” Jungkook smiled at her unable to believe what was happening at that moment and continue to murmur the incomplete verses the new song

“ If there is a chance in my busy schedule”

“ I would like to immerse myself in your deep warm eyes”

He and Nayoung looked at each other. There was a connection between them that went beyond the mortal, or at least that's what Jungkook wanted to imagine.


	7. Together

The rest of the afternoon Nayoung and Jungkook spent their time sharing compositions, playing the guitar and singing some verses. The sound of their laughter echoed throughout the house.

Jungkook had never felt so comfortable talking with a girl. He knew what it was to have a girlfriend, kiss her, hold her hand and even dedicate her some songs, but with Nayoung he felt a different connection, even when the hours passed he felt like he didn’t have enough of the girl's presence. He hadn't been bored at all.   
Nayoung was looking in her backpack her compositions notebook. Jungkook had understood that Nayoung loved to write in her free time or even during long trips. Some of her thoughts had turn into lyrics for songs. Jungkook couldn’t believe that SM had not agreed to record any of Nayoung's songs. It was obvious that they had some flaws, but in general the songs were good, even the boy thought that some of the compositions could be adapted to BTS’ style. Suddenly he realized that he had fantasized too much and that at that moment he was smiling like an idiot. Nayoung wasn’t paying attention to hiuntil she realize that the boy's cheeks were completely red and it was impossible to hide the brightness of his eyes.   
The brunette tried to snatch the guitar from Jungkook and in a clumsy movement she ended up falling on top of him. The distance between their lips was minimal. Nayoung's cheeks colored an intense and vibrant red. She felt the boy's breath and couldn’t stop looking at his lips. She try to get up, but Jungkook stopped her by holding her by her waist, keeping Nayoung very close to his body

“It may sound strange, but I begin to think that I like you” he said.  
Nayoung didn’t know what to answer to the daring confession. Jungkook was attractive, she couldn’t deny it and in the last hours she had had a great time with him, but she also thought it was too early and maybe he was just confusing his feelings. Then, Nayoung cleared her throat and despite everything she had thought, she ended up confessing

“I like you too” Jungkook smiled at her and he get closer ending the last centimeters that separated his lips and Nayoung’s. They kiss each other with shyness. Jungkook's heart acceleratingtas he made contact to Nayoung, it felt good to be with her, to share the same interests and to think that maybe he wasn’t alone anymore.

Nayoung separated from him after a few seconds, although she did not stop looking at him, she hit him a little in the chest and smiled before standing up, then extended her hand to Jungkook and help him to stand too, he also smiled

“We are going to look for something to eat” Nayoung said, taking him by the hand, he nodded while his heart recovered its usual rhythm.

She opened the refrigerator, his parents had gone to the supermarket so there were only a few food reserves

“Ramen?” she ask

“why not?” He answer shrugging his shoulders.

Since his debut Jungkook had known many girls, some more beautiful than others, some singers, actresses or dancers, all in the same industry as him, however, Nayoung gave him the impression of being different she seemed to love what she was doing, she was very talented but also humble. He closed his eyes to remember the kiss again and seconds later the girl's lips touched his again delicately. He opened his eyes to find Nayoung's flushed face, he laughed a little and placed a tender kiss on the girl's forehead.

They decided to watch a Harry Potter marathon. Jungkook threw himself on a sofa and Nayoung leaned on another. They turned on the television and let the hours pass.

Nayoung's parents came back a little before eight. Jungkook said goodbye in a very respectful way avoiding suspicion. Not that they wanted to lie to them, but they preferred to avoid the questions of Mr. and Mrs. Lee.

Nayoung accompanied her parents to dinner and then retired to her bedroom. She take the cell phone and immediately she saw a new message. Nayoung was pretty sure, the text was from Jungkook, although her smile disappeared immediately upon realizing that the sender was Yixing.

"How is it possible to stop loving you?"

Nayoung’s heart ached, as if it hurt to breathe and she passed the rest of the night without any sleep.


	8. Reality

The rest of her vacations, Nayoung tried to avoid Jungkook at all costs. She didn’t understand why she felt so guilty about kissing him. She had been wondering if Yixing really loved her, because even though she imagined that the boy might have feelings for her, she didn’t expect them to be so strong. The other option was that Yixing had only send her some lyrics for a new song, and he just wanted to share them with her.   
But, as time passed she felt even worse.  
There was also Myungsoo whom she just refused to pursue her dream. Wasn’t that what she wanted? Go ahead with her dream of being an Idol.   
Nayoung closed her eyes hoping to move her thoughts away, although all she could do was contemplate the faces of the three boys who were driving her crazy. So she end up throwing the pillow against the wall. She needed to do something or she was going to drown in her thoughts.

Nayoung put on a pair of tennis shoes and went running. The air was cold, but she didn’t care, she ran as long as she could until she was short of breath.   
Her body totally covered with sweat. She didn’t realize how far she had come until she observed the lighthouse. It was at least ten kilometers from her parents' house. She leaned on her knees resting a little. Her thoughts had stopped tormenting her and she decided it was time to go home .

The worried faces of her parents received her just as she crossed the door

“Where were you?” asked his mother

“We were calling you at least twenty times” said her father  
Nayoung was about to answer when she noticed the silhouette of a boy appear behind his father. Jungkook.  
There he was, with a frown on his forehead and his arms crossed. Was he angry that she had ignored him? The simple idea tormented her again

“I went to run for a while and found some friends from school at the lighthouse. I forgot to take my cell phone with me” she lied and her parents sighed. They asked her one or two other things and finally the interrogation ended. Then Jungkook finally spoke   
“ I have to leave, I have to go back to Seoul tomorrow and there are some things I need to do” maybe it was Nayoung's impression, but it seemed to her that Jungkook had emphasized the last words   
“ I’ll walk you out” Nayoung offered, although she wasn’t sure what to say anymore.   
They walked to the door in silence like two complete strangers. Jungkook crossed the frame of the door and turned to stare at her, as if he was demanding answers to the akward attitude of the girl

“I'll see you soon” Jungkook said and it sounded more like a question than an affirmation, the brunette felt terrible

“Yeah” her voice sounded like an insecure whisper

“You didn’t have to hide from me, you could tell me you didn’t want anything else” Jungkook was hurt, he could not say that his heart was broken, but he could assure that he felt disappointed in Nayoung's attitude in the last days

“It isn’t that” said the girl, although she did not explain what it was really. The two looked at each other for the last time until Jungkook deigned to turn his back and walk towards his house. Tears fell down Nayoung's face, who hated his life at that moment.


	9. MMA

After so much time the day finally came for the Melon Music Awards where Nayoung and the Venus Vixens would have the chance to win what could be their first Rookie of the year award. The brunette was very focused on continuing her training, recording the new album and rehearsing the choreography. She never stopped working and although she felt a bit exhausted she loved to live like that. All her dreams were coming true. She was so focused that she didn’t pay attention to the big sign at the entrance of the building announcing the artists that would perform at the ceremony. She greet the fans who were waiting to see their favorite group and went with the rest of their members to the dressing room.

The costume coordinator called Nayoung to make the final make-up adjustments and fix the girl's dress a little before going out with her members.  
Nayoung was nervous and felt overwhelmed by the bunch of artists who were in the same place. It was worse than any music show where they had been presented, because in the ceremony were only the most important artists of the year and they were just rookies.  
She sat next to Sohee holding her hand.  
Sohee turned to see her without understanding Nayoung's nervousness. She was more uneasy than usual, but soon she forgot about it when she saw her favorite group sit by their side. Sohee was an Exo-l and she couldn’t hide it. Idol or not his fanatical heart couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear when each of the nine members appeared in front of her. She tapped Nayoung on the palm of her hand to get her attention and when the brunette turned around, her world turned upside down, she got up quickly to bow to Exo. Yixing smiled at her discreetly. He looked a little bit different as she remembered, more interesting and more mature, but he was he same tender boy she had met.  
Nayoung gave him a slight smile and was glad that the fans were far enough away to not capture those discreet gestures with their cameras. Yixing sat next to her. Fortunately, Exo's table was next to Venus Vixens' table.

The first surprise of the night had enchanted her and the ceremony had not yet begun.

The next surprise came two minutes later when BTS appeared. V was the first to sit in front of Venus Vixens' table. Nayoung barely say hello correctly because Jungkook was coming after him and his cold gaze crossed with hers. She had weeks without seeing him or knowing about him. Not that she had time to surf the web a lot, but she had heard about the cover of We do not talk anymore that Jungkook did days ago and she wondered if he had dedicated the song to her.  
Nayoung made a new reverence a little more discreet than the previous one and just looked at Sohee who was whispering something about Sehun.

More groups arrived to occupy the rest of empty seats. And the ceremony started. The lights went out at the same moment that someone pulled Nayoung by the arm. The chestnut turned around recognizing the owner of the smile

“what?” she ask Yixing in a whisper. Sohee tried to cover her in case the lights came on again. Yixing handed Nayoung a small piece of paper folded into four pieces and settled into place as if nothing had happened. Nayoung smiled at him and seconds later the lights formed a great show. Music flooded the large venue and a video of the guests began to air on the giant screen. The euphoria of the fans was present and the stands lit up in different colors.

Nayoung opened the note hiding it under the table so no one else could see it

"It is difficult to escape fate, just as it is difficult to dissolve love.  
P.S. you look beautiful tonight. "

Nayoung's heart accelerated, now she could recognized the fragment of the song that Yixing had sent her weeks ago. It was a beautiful song that once he sang to her with his guitar. New Endless Love.  
That night the boy wanted to confirm once and for all his feelings for her.  
Everyone look up when the presenters of the night were revealed. The fans applauded as six figures positioned themselves in the center of the elegant platform. The third surprise of the night left Nayoung speechless.  
Myungsoo was dressed in an elegant black suit, with his dark hair combed back leaving his bare forehead. He was in front of her and she thought she was seeing a prince.  
Nayoung felt a fixed gaze on her. She stop seeing Myungsoo only to meet Jungkook's eyes contemplating her coldly.

She felt very uncomfortable. As if the world was conspiring against her, it was obvious that she had to find them again, but she was still incredulous that she would spend at least three hours in that place.

 

After VIXX and Red Velvet showed up. Nayoung invited Sohee to the bathroom. She wanted to avoid any inconvenience before their turn to perform came. Before turning away she look at Jungkook's with the corner of her eye, the boy had his head down, maybe he was tired, maybe he was avoiding her.  
Nayoung smiled a little and disappeared into the shadows, she didn’t bother to look at Yixing, she was afraid that the fans would find out about the friendship between them and things would go wrong. She wasn’t yet an established artist and she knew a lot of cases where the career of an Idol ended with just one dating scandal. She herself had lived a similar situation with Myungsoo and she didn’t want to make the same mistake.

Sohee and Nayoung came to the bathroom, behind the scenes the situation was a little more relaxed, there were no cameras or people watching. Nayoung sighed relieved

“ Are you sure you're ok” Sohee asked noticing the strange attitude of her friend “ is it for L or for Lay?” Nayoung gave her a quick look and then laughed

“You need an update” she hung up on her friend's arm and told her everything since her holidays to Yixing's note. After all she needed a woman-to-woman advice.

They stayed in the bathroom talking for at least ten minutes. Sohee had listened to Nayoung with an open mouth incredulous of what she was hearing

“Well, I'm going to say that you are lucky girl” she said to his friend giving her a nudge, the brunette watch her with a feigned indignation

“lucky?” she ask “you have no idea how terrible I feel, besides” Nayoung paused to stare at Sohee, her black hair looked good, it highlighted the delicate features of the girl “you are in love with Sehun, aren’t you?” Sohee looked at her as If she wanted to kill her, his cheeks blushed, delating her immediately.

“We're not talking about that” she said diverting Nayoung’s attention “You should talk to Jungkook, he seems resentful, at least give him an explanation” Nayoung nodded” let things happen and don’t worry so much” she finally said. Sohee took the chestnut arm and both left the bathroom a little more relaxed.

The music was heard throughout the hall and while Sohee was singing at the top of his lungs, Nayoung stopped suddenly. Myungsoo walked towards her. He looked very good except for the wwas seeing Nayoung. Sunggyu walked beside him rehearsing the chorus of his song, although he stopped as soon as he saw Nayoung. He greeted her quickly and move forward to leave Myungsoo alone with her. Sohee also stepped aside giving them space to talk. Myungsoo smiled at her cynically and then let out a sarcastic comment

“How quickly have you forgotten” he said coldly as if he didn’t care to see her there in front of him, Nayoung's blood ran cold

“ what did you just say?” she ask confused. Myungsoo looked down at her, leaning slightly to whisper in her ear

“I suppose you didn’t expect the rumors to run so fast, but everyone knows you're with Lay” Nayoung's heart stopped beating or at least that's what she thought when she heard him say “I didn’t think you were a liar”

Sohee knew that her friend would not be well after that and she worried even more when she saw the expression of her manager who was looking for them to warn them that in 20 minutes they would go on stage.

Nayoung returned to his seat in silence, she didn’t even smile at Yixing when his gaze met hers. The boy wanted to ask if everything was fine, but he couldn’t do it with so many people watching him.

Jungkook on the other hand had also heard the rumors. Every BTS was aware and he felt like an idiot for wanting to tell them about their vacations and how he met Nayoung. He didn’t even tell V who was his closest friend. He was ashamed to think that she had only played with him. And everything was confirmed when he saw Lay give her that note. There was no doubt that there was something between she and the Exo boy. Even so, he did not have the courage to take his eyes off you when he saw you come back with tearful eyes. He didn’t have time to think anything else because BTS had won a prize and they had to give their thanks. He felt Suga's embrace, then saw Nayoung bowing and clapping slightly before they went to the stage.

Nayoung was deep in her thoughts, again and again she repeated Myungsoo's words in her head. Was she a liar? Maybe she was, she had lied to everyone because she was aware that she and Yixing liked each other, that she and Jungkook had kissed and that she and Myungsoo had been a couple. Well, she was a liar. She had played with all three. Nayoung felt so bad that she didn’t realize when she get on stage, she sing and dance because of inertia, but not because she wanted to. She sing all the high notes and she did well on stage as always, but she wasn’t enjoying it at all.

The song ended and the Venus Vixens returned to their place happy, full of vitality and joy, except Nayoung.

Yixing could no longer resist, he approached Nayoung discreetly and asked if everything was fine. Jungkook looked at them and then saw how a tear came from the eyes of the brunette.

Myungsoo appeared again on the scene to announce the award to the Rookies of year.

“Venus Vixens congratulations” he said with a smile. More tears sprang from the girl's face. There was her dream becoming a horrible nightmare. Jungkook, Myungsoo and Yixing applauded her, but she had failed at the three of them.


	10. Press release

The next day Nayoung woke up very early. Her cell phone had been ringing like crazy and she wondered what the hell was going on?

She check the messages one by one, all of them with urgency. They say something about a rumor and a press release issued by SME. It took her a few minutes to wake up completely and understand that they were about her and Yixing. The rumor had spread beyond the artistic community and even several sites posted images of her and Yixing playing the guitar together. Alone.

She hear her manager enter the room like a whirlpool. He was going straight to her and Nayoung thought the worst.

“I need you to fix yourself a little” he tell her quickly “you have an appearance in Masked Singer” Nayoung didn’t remember any of that, she didn’t have any scheduled activity that didn’t include the other members of the group “I’ll explain everything to you on the way”

Nayoung put some make up on her face, she fixed her hair and in fifteen minutes more she was already getting into the van. Her manager had a worried expression, although he didn’t seem angry with her.

“What's up?” the girl finally asked 

"There's a rumor going around between you and Lay," he explained. "It seems that it took quite a bit of strength, but SM already denied it, saying that you both are working together in a duet" Nayoung didn’t know what to say, apparently it wasn’t her fault “this usually happens between members of the same company” her manager said trying to reassure her, however Nayoung didn’t remember that for every rumor in SM they did a duet or a collaboration “ the collaboration has been Lay's idea, he told Director Lee that you used to compose music together” Nayoung nodded understanding the situation “and he liked the idea, so you could promote in China too" the manager turned right taking a fast track “but we need to do some individual promotion to make it look like it was already planned” Nayoung sighed, not even she knew what song to sing. She check her cell phone for music that will inspire her. She wanted to sing a ballad, she really wanted to express the frustration and sadness she felt. Nayoung went at least three times through her repertoire of music and then received a message. Yixing, said the sender

"I hope you have a more normal day than mine :)"

Nayoung couldn’t help but smile, at least he wasn’t so worried about that rumor, so she answer the message

"Thanks for taking care of me"

Yixing had behaved well with her, without asking her questions or puttting pressure on her. He was patient, affectionate and respectful.

She went back to review his songs and chose one to dedicate as a farewell message to that love that was making her suffer.

Tears are falling from Wax.

She closed her eyes to review the words again and again. She needed to be able to sing it without crying.

Yixing sent her a new message

"See you tomorrow"

Nayoung asked her manager about her agenda. As she recalled tomorrow, only one wardrobe test was pending.

“There was a change of plans, they are going to do a photo session and to rehearse the choreography for your new song with Lay” Nayoung was confused

“What else is going to happen regarding the duet? “

“You'll have a couple of photo sessions, interviews and you are going to release a mini album here and in China” Nayoung could not believe all that

“ So much for a simple rumor?” She ask incredulously

“It is not just that, SM had planned to do a new project and with the difficulty of entering the Chinese market, it seemed a good idea to include you in the project”

“And the Venus Vixens?”

“I suppose that their activities were pending, they will be dedicated individually to different activities and when you come back all four of you will promote together again.

She felt a little sad knowing that she wouldn’t be with Kim, Leila and Sohee for a while, although deep down she was also very excited to go to another country, learn new things and maybe, spend some time with Yixing.


	11. L vs Lay

Exo walked down the long corridor greeting other groups that were on their way. Some Rookies gave them CDs as gifts to their seniors. Something they had also done in the past.  
Yixing had already confirmed the guest list for Melon Music Awards ceremony. He really wanted to see Nayoung after a long time and fortunately the Venus Vixens would show up. He couldn’t help but smile as he imagined how beautiful the brunette would look.  
Since he met her, he knew that there would be a special connection between them. Both shared the same hobbies and the boy could see how passionate Nayoung was about work. The only thing that worried Yixing was the little time they shared together, with her constant trips to China and her busy schedule he barely had time to talk to her.

So he put together the courage to confess everything at once. He didn’t want to go back to China and ask himself for months what Nayoung felt for him, even if she wasn’t his girlfriend he wanted to know if her feelings were or were not reciprocated.

When Exo left their dressing rooms and they were in place before the start of the ceremony Yixing couldn’t stop smiling, the brunette looked beautiful and he was grateful that his smile was confused with the emotion of seeing his fans again. He was also happy about that, but ultimately seeing her again was one of his greatest joys. He waited for the lights to go out and call Nayoung's attention to deliver the note he had written minutes before. He didn’t have to see her to know how beautiful she would look.

The rest of the night he wait quietly, he didn’t want to call too much attention to the girl, so he preferred to wait until the two were alone to speak more calmly, but when he saw Nayoung return with her eyes fixed on the floor and a distant expression even while she was singing he wondered if something was wrong and he understood it very soon when he observed the dark haired boy staring at her from the shadows. Yixing already knew the story between Nayoung and the Infinite boy. It hurt to see her like this and know that she still had feelings for L.

When the ceremony ended Yixing no longer thought about talking to her or looking for her. He had something more important to do. So he went to the dressing area next to the other members of Exo. He told Chanyeol that he would catch up later and change course. He had to talk to L because he was not going to let someone make Nayoung cry.

It did not take him long to find the Infinite dressing room. He knock on the door twice and wait for someone to show up. He was surprised when a woman left the dressing room and quickly concluded that it was her cordi. Then a couple of faces peeked out to see who was looking for them and there a few inches away he saw the boy with the penetrating gaze watching him intently with the desire to kill him. Yixing cleared his throat

\- can we talk? - He ask addressing the boy, holding his gaze. He nodded arrogantly and stood up. The rest of Infinite looked at him perplexed. They were aware of the situation and just waited for Myungsoo to remain calm.

The hallway was empty, most of the groups had left and only a few were waiting in their dressing rooms.

Myungsoo kept looking at the boy coldly as if blaming him for all his misfortunes

\- what do you want? – he ask coldly

-I want to talk about Nayoung- Myungsoo couldn’t help feeling jealous over the way the boy pronounced the name of his ex-girlfriend as if trying to prove to him that Nayoung was no longer his in any way -I know you two were dating- said Yixing -and also why you ended your relationship- Myungsoo curled his mouth to one side, it hurt to remember the past and more that it was his rival who brought it back

\- And what's that all about? - The boy had heard the rumors of the relationship between Lay and Nayoung, so he wasn’t too surprised to see the Exo member facing him out of his dressing room

-I just want to ask you not to hurt her- Yixing's voice sounded sincere, in reality he was worried about her, but instead of pitying Myungsoo, another wave of jealousy flooded him. He remembered Lay bringing flowers to Nayoung. To his girl, the woman he still loved

\- Why would I hurt her if she's your girlfriend? - Myungsoo asked already without the arrogant smile. Only pain and sadness were reflected in his face, although the frown tried to hide everything

-She's not my girlfriend- Yixing confessed. the boy didn’t like to play dirty, he wanted to win Nayoung's heart in a clean way and was willing to face his love rival in the process, even if he turned out to be a loser. Myungsoo's expression changed instantly as he realized the mistake he had made and how much he hurt Nayoung. Since he called her a liar, he realized that the girl had wiped her smile and in spite of how far away she was at that moment he felt bad about making her cry. Then under the look, suddenly he felt defeated, like a coward and when he heard Lay talk again he thought that everything was lost – but I want you to know that I will fight for her.


	12. Jungkook

Jungkook saw Nayoung's tears come out in silence. One of her group members took her hand trying to comfort her before they went up to the stage together to receive their award. He felt bad to see her in that situation, but there was nothing he could do to make her feel better. During the holidays he felt like a normal person next to Nayoung, even when they only spent a few hours together. He knew that everything had gone too fast and he couldn’t help but question why Nayoung had stopped talking to him. Then when he listen to J-Hope telling V the rumor, he felt like a fool and was thankful he hadn't mentioned anything to his teammates. Finally he decided to upload a cover to express his pain. Even so, when he saw Nayoung return to her place he felt bad for her, couldn’t they be friends? Jungkook looked down and closed his eyes to clear his mind. 

The ceremony came to an end, the groups began to leave and he just followed the rest of BTS in silence. V told him a lot of things he didn’t pay attention to, but he just smiled so that no one would suspect something was happening to him. 

When he got to his bedroom he locked himself in the room, took the guitar and began to sing the song he had dedicated to Nayoung days ago. 

He woke up the next day because of the joyful cries of J-Hope. The boy looked like a tornado spinning and jumping on the bed of the maknae 

“ What's wrong?” He ask with half-open eyes 

“they denied it” J-Hope was excited screaming with a smile from ear to ear, Jungkook looked at him with a confused expression 

“They denied what?” Then his friend took a step showing him the screen of his cell phone. There he could read an article 

"SM confirms duet between Venus Vixens' Nayoung and Exo's Lay, agency deny rumors about a possible relationship." 

Jungkook smiled slightly infected by the joyful expression of J-Hope 

“you’re crazy” he said before jumping on the bed sinking his head on the pillow. Although deep down he couldn’t deny that hope illuminated his heart once again. 

Hours later when he got up for breakfast he ran into V and J-Hope muttering in the kitchen, he stopped right in the doorway, to not interrupt the conversation. 

“I can’t believe it J-Hope said bringing a hand to his mouth in genuine astonishment, V shook his head assuring him that it was true 

“Lay of Exo?” 

“Yes, and the handsome guy from Infinite” added V. For a second Jungkook thought they were talking about an affair between them, but quickly J-Hope spoke again 

“Then they both like my Nayoung” he said sadly, V made a gesture of annoyance 

“your Nayoung?” ask V emphasizing the girl's name “I doubt she knows about you” J-Hope seemed as he wasn’t affected about V's comment 

“Then that statement and the duet project was only to distract us from reality” V said at the same time that Jungkook appeared in front of them, sitting next to J-Hope 

“ what are you talking about?” 

“ Of my dear Nayoung, it seems that I’m not the only one who is in love with her” he said sighing with a sad tone. The same tone that Jungkook would have used if his friends knew what was happening. He had two rivals and he wasn’t sure it was worth facing them, after all Nayoung and he had only shared a few moments together. 


	13. Photos

Nayoung sat waiting for the photographer's call, for this session her make-up artist decided to delineate her eyes and paint her lips with an intense red, very different from the makeup style that Nayoung used to use daily. The brunette had tried to talk to Yixing, but the boy was late and immediately his makeup artist took him with her 

The photographer entered the room telling Nayoung that her turn had arrived. 

The girl had curled her hair, wore a pink jacket, white shirt with black prints and a cherry mini skirt. 

Yixing on the other hand had his forehead uncovered. His hair was short, unlike the last time Nayoung saw him, although it still retained the same dark tone. He wore an open black sweater leaving his white shirt uncovered. When she saw his shoes it was clear to her that they would do a couple session. So she sigh trying to ignore the poses they would make together. Yixing greeted her with a smile. Then they listen carefully to the photographer. She sensed the boy's perfume flooding the place. A mixture of autumnal and masculine, between orange and cinnamon. 

“You are going to do a few shots together and then a couple more individually. I want you to show tenderness and genuine confidence” his grave voice quickly turned into a whisper “ I don’t want this to be another boring and distant collaboration like the ones you always see” Yixing nodded taking Nayoung by the hand, leaned over a bit, recharging his head on the shoulder of the girl 

“Is this ok?” The photographer smiled satisfied, raised his thumbs and returned with his production team. Nayoung felt a warmth rise through her body at the same time she felt Yixing not letting go of her hand. She turn to see the boy who smiled coquettishly at her 

“I suppose we will be a couple for some hours” he said casually, then he look at her from head to toe “no doubt you can be very sexy when you want” Nayoung wanted the earth to swallow her in that instant or Yixing would realize how embarrassed she was and how fast her heart was beating just by seeing him, then she reminded herself that she had never been an insecure girl and she proposed to pay the boy with the same coin as soon as the session of photos started. 

The photographer asked them to hold hands, staring at each other, the sunlight entering through a wide framed window of wood, surrounded by flowers. Nayoung was sure it would be a beautiful shot. Yixing and she positioned themselfs where the photographer indicated and the girl took him by the hand shortening the distance between them, then she smiled tenderly at him. That simple movement made Yixing nervous, who was stunned until the photographer spoke to him to remind him of his position. The boy apologized by obeying immediately. He smiled at Nayoung as his heart accelerated. The flash of the cameras rang several times and continued with the second shot. In it Nayoung would have to kiss Yixing's cheek. 

“one, two, three” told the photographer and Nayoung stood on tiptoes depositing a small kiss on the boy's blushing cheek. She smiled as soon as they finished giving a small tap to the boy's arm, but he did not even turn to look at her. If Nayoung wanted to make him nervous, she was doing it alright. 

For the third take they changed clothes, hair and makeup, Yixing wore a white sweater, gray pants and matching shoes, freshly washed hair completely natural. His individual photographs had already been taken while the girl finished getting ready. Nayoung wore a white skirt and a gray sweater, her long, straight hair reached to her waist, makeup on this occasion was more natural without eyeliner or a flashy lipstick. 

Nayoung had to perform the individual shots with Yixing's gaze following her everywhere, a couple of shots emphasizing her face were enough to end her individual work. Then the photographer asked them to sit on the wooden floor, resting their backs on the wall. They both followed the instructions and then their assistant handed them a book. Yixing had to hold it open while Nayoung was leaning on his shoulder. The flashes sounded a few seconds and concluded the third shot. 

Only the fourth shot was missing and they would conclude the session as a couple. The production team moved out of a restaurant. Nayoung realized that Yixing practically avoided her all the way to the location. She smiled to herself, having achieved her goal. Finally, the photographer gave them a few directions before the shot. Nayoung sat on one of the steps staring at Yixing with a broad smile on her face. He also looked at her trying not to blush. He leaned in front of her holding her hand and in an instant the shot ended. 

“This is it" said the photographer. Some members of the team breathed a sigh of relief “ we are going to review the shots” the last indication wasn’t for Yixing or Nayoung so their work was over. 

Once they changed their clothes, the manager took them to the SME building. It was time to practice the choreography. During their way back to SM their manager stopped for a moment to buy a couple of drinks and something to eat, leaving Yixing and Nayoung alone, in an uncomfortable silence. 

“Hey Lay” the brunette spoke first, trying to get her partner's attention. She had called him a few times by his stage name, when she was a new Trainee in SME and didn’t know anyone yet. 

“yes?” Yixing looked distracted. 

“ what are you thinking?” she ask curiously. He looked at her deeply as if trying to decipher her secrets. 

“I know you love L, but” he mutter with some sadness and then he ask her something that Nayoung never thought she had to answer “do you think you can love me too?” the brunette didn’t know how to answer because a part of her couldn’t forget Myungsoo and on the other hand she couldn’t deny that she felt great when Yixing was by her side, so she said what she thought was the truth 

“I'll try” 


	14. Dream

Nayoung returned to her bedroom a few hours later. Exhausted by the improvised choreography. She closed her eyes quickly trying to recover the lost energies. Tomorrow was going to be even more complicated. She would have to record a couple of songs with Yixing and then attend a special show with her team mates, just before pausing her promotional cycle with them to go to another country. 

She didn’t notice, but quickly fell into a deep sleep. 

Myungsoo and she ran in an amusement park, for the second time the fans had voted them to be a couple in Dating Infinite. The missions included holding hands, kissing one another on the cheek and riding together a roller coaster. Nayoung felt free not to have to hide from others. Previous to the program all dates with Myungsoo had been in places that weren’t very crowded and where her boyfriend was forced to cover his face so that they couldn’t recognize him. It saddened her also not to be able to publish her photos on the internet as a couple or show off the amazing boyfriend she had. Myungsoo besides being handsome was very gentlemanly and charming. He seemed like a prince to her and she couldn’t help wanting to shout to the world that he was hers. 

Myungsoo took her hand as soon as the cameras started recording, they were acting quite well pretending to feel embarrassed while interacting with each other, because clearly he had no problem being so close to her, much less when both had shared so many moments together. At that moment Nayoung barely remembered the uncomfortable moments that passed at the beginning. When they met for the first time. 

Myungsoo suddenly entered the studio interrupting Nayoung's recording for a Demo with Sunggyu's help. He was looking for his Infinite partner who had to stop everything and start over. Nayoung gave him a murderous look to the boy who completely ignored her. 

“I need you to help me with some notes” he told Sunggyu 

“I told you that today I couldn’t, Woohyun is not here and I have to record this demo, if you want I'll help you after I finish with this” Myungsoo nodded silently and sat next to him. Then he stare at Nayoung trying to intimidate her. 

“Let's continue” Sunggyu indicated through the speaker, Nayoung nodded and sang again. 

When the record was finished Sunggyu came out of the studio first, Nayoung was about to follow him the instant Myungsoo spoke to her 

“I like how you sing” he told the girl and then he went after his partner. 

The two met again in the monthly evaluation of Woollim. Where the brunette, Jisoo and Mijoo carried out an intense dance routine. During the three minutes of the song she felt Myungsoo's eyes follow her in every movement. When the evaluation was over both of them met in the hallway and he approached her just to tell her 

“I like how you dance, you're really good at it” 

Finally, after a few days to Nayoung she got a text message, asking her to go to the studio at 12:30. She didn’t recognize the number, but the girl concluded that it was her vocal coach. 

She attended the appointment on time only to run into the Infinite member and his intense gaze. His eyes fixed on hers, and his body dangerously close. Nayoung felt his stomach churn when he saw the perfect features of the boy in front of her a few centimeters away. Myungsoo smiled coquettishly, taking her by the waist to finish the distance between them. His lips met hers gently. Nayoung barely had time to understand what was happening and found herself responding to the boy's kiss. 

When they separated Myungsoo smiled at her and slowly approached his ear to whisper 

“I definetly like how you kiss” 

As of that moment she and Myungsoo began to have dates from time to time, the first ones were in Woollim building and later in little crowded places. So they already have been dating a few months before Dating Infinite. 

The audience seemed to welcome Nayoung with love and even more to her fictional relationship with L. 

Myungsoo took her to the roller coaster to meet the ultimate challenge. Nayoung smiled at him, he was very happy to freely enjoy those moments, although the cameras recorded them all the time, he felt that he could enjoy Nayoung without restrictions. 

They climbed the roller coaster and when it slowed down she felt her boyfriend kiss her cheek. Myungsoo smiled at the camera saying 

“mission fulfilled “ 

The next morning her alarm woke her with a shriek that Nayoung had hated since last month. She put a pair of jeans and a yellow sweatshirt. She made her hair into a ponytail and wondered if she should use the bracelet that Myungsoo gave her on their first anniversary. She conclude that she didn’t want to leave aside such a beautiful gift that meant a lot to her. She didn’t want to forget anything about Myungsoo at all 


	15. Fanboy

Nayoung went down to breakfast, ran into Kim in the hall, the girl was taller than her and had a rather intimidating aura, not for nothing was the group's main rapper, even so, Kim greeted her kindly 

“ Are you going to eat some breakfast?” She Ask her “ I cut some fruit in case you're interested” Kim was like the mom of the group, always aware of others reminding them what was good and what wasn’t, the first time she spoke with Nayoung was to tell her there was no problem in her going out with Lay, but just be careful in public places, where there were cameras or fans. Nayoung assured her that she had nothing to worry about, Kim smiled affectionately and didn’t touch the subject again. 

Nayoung took some fruit and poured orange juice into a glass. She sat down in the kitchen bar in front of Kim, who start eating her breakfast. 

Silence lasted a few minutes before Leila, Venus Vixens’ maknae came down the stairs with incredible enthusiasm, practically shouting all over the house 

“ Do you know who will go to today's special show?” Sohee who was walking with Leila sat next to Nayoung as she reached for some of her fruit. The brunette looked at her with a grimace of dissatisfaction and then laughed along with Sohee. 

“ Who?” finally asked Kim 

“BTS” the youngest of the group said jumping with emotion, Kim rolled her eyes, and Sohee couldn’t avoid watching Nayoung's reaction. 

“ Is it true?” Kim ask, Leila nodded. 

“I'll finally be able to talk to Suga” Kim gave him a quick glance challenging the maknae to disobey her, Leila opened her eyes letting out a mock laugh 

“Just kidding” she said before sitting next to Sohee trying to hide from the look of Kim. The rapper stood up frowning. 

“Talk to him but not where there are cameras” she warned, then walked to the bowl of fruit to serve a little to Sohee and Leila, she looked at the last one fixedly and said “ when you talk to him ask for an autograph for me” and just then the four laughed. 

The Venus Vixens arrived at SME building, three of the four members went to the dance hall to practice the choreography a bit. Nayoung meanwhile went to the recording studio expecting to meet Yixing, greeting the producer, the songwriter of the main song and a representative of SM. She saw no signs of the boy, she even thought they would wait for him, but the producer told Nayoung that they would start recording without him and that afterwards they would mix the voices of both. Yixing would record following Nayoung's guide and the process would end up being faster. The brunette did as instructed and after a few hours finished recording the three songs of the mini album. 

She went to look for the Venus Vixens who were waiting for Nayoung at the reception of the place, the girls greeted a few fans who stood guard outside the building. They get into the van and headed to the MBC recording studios. Some staff members received them giving them directions, about their dressing room and the time to start recording. 

Nayoung felt someone pulling her arm, turned around to meet Leila who was smiling broadly 

“They are here” the brunette looked at the BTS van in the distance, she saw Suga go down first and preferred to stop seeing them, she didn’t want to think about Jungkook. 

She remembered the ceremony, he had spent all night in front of her and Nayoung hadn't even bothered to give him an explanation. The boy deserved an answer because they had kissed and then she simply avoided him. Who was going to say that the expected encounter would happen faster than Nayoung and Jungkook had imagined?. 

Someone knocked on the door of the Venus Vixens, Kim got up to open thinking that it was their manager or someone from the staff to call them to the recording studio. What a surprise it was when he met the smiling face of two members of BTS. Kim made a quick bow inviting them to pass. J-Hope smile couldn’t be any bigger, beside him was the maknae who seemed a little more embarrassed and even a little annoyed. 

“I'm sorry to interrupt you” the older of the two said “ it's just that” J-Hope was unable to see Nayoung directly and when his eyes met those of the girl who smiled slightly he was unable to continue, so Jungkook finish the sentence for him 

“He wants an autograph of Nayoung “ 

“and a photograph” added J-Hope forgetting his image as Idol to become a dedicated fan. Nayoung approached him passing by Jungkook. J-Hope took out his cell phone and leaned towards the girl, both appeared perfectly in the image, but J-Hope had a frown dissatisfied for some reason 

“Jungkook” He raise his voice scolding the maknae “you have to appear in the shot or if I lose this cell phone everyone will think I'm her boyfriend” Jungkook rolled his eyes “It doesn’t bother me at all, but I don’t want to cause you problems” he explain to Nayoung as Venus Vixens laughed. Jungkook approached Nayoung, she felt his hand surrounding her waist with naturalness, a detail that nobody could contemplate as the three smiled for the photo. 

BTS members said goodbye to the girls, thanking them for their attention and kindness. Nayoung saw Jungkook disappear behind the door and knew that if she didn’t talk to him, their encounters would still be uncomfortable. So she apologized to the Venus Vixens and left the dressing room saying she was going to look for their manager 

“Juconfusedhe heard Nayoung shout, the boy immediately turned to J-Hope who was watching the confused scene, since when did those two know each other? 

“I'll reach you later” said the maknae, obviously it would be a private talk, but as soon as they were in the dressing room J-Hope would ask him everything, he turned around and went on his way without saying anything else. 

“Hey” Nayoung spoke trying to catch her breath, fortunately she wasn’t wearing heels that made the process of running more difficult 

“Hey” he said unable to articulate another word, he knew that when he returned Hoseok would ask a thousand questions 

“I wanted to explain things to you” Nayoung's cheerful voice had completely changed, she seemed ashamed and regretful, the smile on her face had completely vanished. Jungkook looked at her slightly, she was very beautiful, he couldn’t help but feel attracted to her. If she were any other girl he wouldn’t bother to talk to her, he wouldn’t allow anyone to play with his feelings, much less if they only had a few days to get to know each other, but something in her seemed sincere. He saw the girl take a step closer to him to hug him, cuddling his head on the boy's chest. Then she wrapped his arms around him “I'm very sorry for hurting you and avoiding you the rest of our vacation” Nayoung clung more to the boy's grip and for a second Jungkook thought she was crying “I was afraid of hurting you too” Jungkook remembered what Taehyung had told Hoseok about L and Lay 

"Okay," he whispered to the girl “maybe it wasn’t the moment” it hurt to say those words, but he knew it was the right thing to do. There were many things that Nayoung had to discover on her own and the most coherent thing was for him to give her the way free for the girl to clarify her feelings “ maybe in the future” he said hoping this could be true Nayoung's sad face lit up a bit when she noticed the smile on his face “ but just to make it clear I want you to know that I still like you” he deposit a small kiss on the girl's cheek before a staff member appear in the hallway forcing them to separate. 

“It's time to start recording”. 

Nayoung couldn’t stop laughing. Jimin had fallen in the middle of the study causing that Jin that walked distracted stumbled with the body and land in the floor a few centimeters away. Everyone laughed at the funny incident. And although the MC had not yet started with the presentations, the cameras were already recording. Jungkook looked at the brunette, it felt better to see her smiling at him. He knew he had done the right thing by leaving her free. 

“ Do you like her?” asked Taehyung behind his back noticing the look of the boy on Nayoung 

“We kissed” he ended up confessing without realizing and immediately regretted the words that came out of his mouth. He already had to explain to Hoseok how they met and didn’t want to have to do the same with V. He cursed himself for not being more careful. 

“today we have the presence of two groups whose performance leaves more than one mouth open” the MC spoke with great encouragement in his voice pretending to capture the attention of a public not present “Let's welcome the BTS musical sensation, BTS and the trending group Venus Vixens” the staff members applauded, each group presented individually and after their introduction the MC spoke again “what do you think if we started with a dance challenge?” all they nodded “choose your representatives” BTS sent J-Hope, Jimin and Jungkook. While Venus Vixens sent Kim, Leila and Nayoung. The music started to sound, both teams trying to improvise a dance routine. Little by little the MC removed the members who stopped dancing. Leaving Nayoung and Jungkook alone in the middle of the forum. Then V scream almost like he wanted the world to hear him 

“they look like a couple” he said in a joking way, but Sohee nodded at his comment 

"They don’t look like they're competing," the Mc admitted, stopping the music. Nayoung looked down at her shoes, V's words had made her blush as she wondered how much the BTS members knew about her and Jungkook. Then the MC took her by her hand and put Nayoung in front of Jungkook. The rest of the crew laugh at how embarrassed they were 

“They can’t even see each other” Leila shouted. Nayoung shot her a quick, menacing glance, she would pay for that comment later, then the maknae's expression changed completely hiding behind Kim making a tender tantrum, taking the attention away from Jungkook and Nayoung as everyone laugh again. The brunette sigh relieved, look up to meet Jungkook's eyes. He didn’t smile at her, he just walked away from there joining his group. Nayoung saw the boy pinch V and chuckled silently at the groan that the BTS member let out. After each group dance a Random Play and an hour later the recording ended everyone said goodbye giving their thanks. The staff turned off the cameras, the MC approached Jimin and Kim to ask them something, while the others talked among themselves. Leila was chatting with Suga asking for the autograph for Kim. Sohee, Rap Monster and V laughed at J-Hope, while Jungkook and Nayoung walked together 

“We should record the songs we composed one day” the brunette nodded 

“it's a good idea” she admitted looking him in the eyes, each time she felt more comfortable at his side, as if things were falling back into place. They had left the recording forum, being completely alone “ you know I will go to China for a while” Jungkook was a little surprised “ it will be a couple of months” said Nayoung 

“It's a shame” confessed the boy “I liked to run into you everywhere” the brunette smiled at him. She didn’t know what else to say, she wanted things to go on like this with Jungkook. she felt that they could be friends, even if they liked each other. He had already told her that it wasn’t the right time to be together and Nayoung knew that he was right. Jungkook was very different from what she had with Myungsoo or Yixing. He was like a magnet that attracted her to him and although she knew him a little, she couldn’t resist the boy's special charm. Then she felt his arms wrap around her. 

“I'm going to miss you” he whisper in an accomplice way. Nayoung could feel his hot and minty breath and it took alltof her strenght not to steal a kiss from him. 


	16. Goodbye

Myungsoo heard Dongwoo and Sunggyu speak through a video call. The voice of a girl echoing through the room. They both laughed, teasing her completely ignoring Myungsoo's presence. They had more than twenty minutes talking, remembering when they ate ice cream together after trying the choreography or when Dongwoo provoked Nayoung a loud laughter at the occurrences of Infinite's rapper. He had heard that Nayoung would leave the country for a few weeks or even months and wondered if the girl wasn’t going to call him to let him know. Of course he was dying of jealousy because she was promoting with Lay and of course he still felt terrible for having called her a liar, but none of that justified the indifference of the brunette, who seemed to completely ignore the boy's pain. 

Myungsoo had cried with her when they broke up, not because they wanted to but because it was their only option. The boy was sad every day and sometimes he didn’t even eat. The situation worsened when Infinite went on tour to promote their latest album and didn’t return to Korea until four months later. Nayoung was no longer a Woollim Trainee and being in that building just made him feel sick. He didn’t know where to look for her. Her address wasn’t the same and the girl didn’t answer any calls. The mere idea of thinking that she was now with someone else drove him crazy and to top it off his suspicions became reality when he saw Lay outside the Venus Vixens department. He wasn’t going to allow Nayoung's love to be taken away from him so easily, so he took his things and headed off to her apartment. 

He was received by a girl with dark hair and a friendly smile 

“ Is Nayoung here? “ Myungsoo asked. 

“yes” she replied disappearing in an instant to go and find her. A minute later he saw the surprised face of Nayoun. Her eyes expressing a mixture of sadness and awe. Myungsoo didn’t expect her to be otherwise hurt and he regretted every word he said that night. 

“ What are you doing here?” Nayoung asked, her voice cold and sharp 

“ can we speak in another place?” Nayoung doubt a second and finally accept his proposal, it was starting to get dark and there weren’t many people in the street. She instructed Myungsoo to follow her to the backyard of the apartment. 

“ why did you come?” Nayoung's cold eyes were looking at him without expression kind of similar to when he interrupted the recording of the demo 

“ I wanted to apologize” he said bluntly “ I behave like an idiot and had no right” he was unable to see her “ I'm jealous to think that you had forgotten so easily about me” Nayoung was saddened to see the boy's expression and felt the tears fall down her cheeks. He was just as hurt as she was, because they wanted to admit it or not, their break had occurred when the two of them loved each other. She approached Myungsoo raising his chin, contemplating his perfect features. There he was, the boy who she fell in love so deeply. He was crying as she had done long ago, every night and every day since their break up. 

“I love you Myungsoo and, I, I don’t think I can ever forget you”she confess to him while her heart was beating hard, he stared at her stealing her heart like the first time they kissed. He sent her far from this world and take her to another where her love wasn’t impossible. Myungsoo wrapped his arms around Nayoung's waist, wiped the tears from his face and pulled her closer to him to kiss her again and again as if trying to make up for the lost time. Nayoung surrendered completely without trying to break free of the boy's grip, pulling his neck to draw him closer to her. How she missed him, she missed seeing him every day when she arrived in Woollim, she missed talking to him on the phone and going out for a walk together, watching movies, eating and kissing him at every opportunity. 

When they separated, neither of them knew what to say, Myungsoo loved her like nobody else in the world, but he couldn’t stand between Nayoung's dream, so he prepare himself to say goodbye to the girl he loved so much, because neither of them could continue to live like this, not when both of them were being killed slowly by the distance 

“this will be the last time I'll see you” he said caressing her face gently “and maybe one day when we meet again I won’t be yours or you won't be mine” Nayoung's eyes came back to fill with tears “ but I'll learn to live with it so you can enjoy your dream” he kiss her gently with all the love and pain that can be felt by someone “ I love you” he said “ and I will continue to do it in silence even when you no longer do it” they stared at each other and said goodbye maybe for a moment or maybe, forever. 


	17. Trip

The plane took off, Nayoung sit into the seat trying to comfort herself. She was still sad, Sohee and the other girls had noticed it when she came back to the apartment crying like never before. She was aware of the sacrifice that Myungsoo had made for her, so that she could continue doing what filled her with happiness.

Nayoung put on some headphones and closed her eyes concentrating on the music, listening to all the songs that she and Myungsoo had dedicated to each other, leaving aside those that caused her sadness. She had realized her mistake. All the time she spent fleeing from the memories even those of the happy moments they shared together and understood that was the main reason why she couldn’t be happy at all. She was avoiding the past because she didn’t want to understand that the best way to continue was to confront that she and Myungsoo couldn’t be together no matter how painful that reality was. So she decided to remember everything and take a step forward and continue with her life. She shouldn't live evading her memories, that wasn’t life, that was torture.

When the plane landed she realized that she was smiling because she had finally forgiven herself.

She greet her fans who were grouped with banners, screaming euphoric her name and she felt very grateful to them for giving her support and confidence.

She climbed into the van that transported her to the hotel where she would spend a few days before moving to a small studio.

She fell asleep halfway and when she woke up again she had arrived at the hotel.

“Your room would be 206” her manager inform her. “We can stay a few minutes here before going to a recording studio"  
Nayoung took a shower and dressed in jeans, a pink sweatshirt and a pair of white tennis shoes. She left her hair loose and went to the reception waiting to find her manager.

“Are you ready?” She nodded, standing in the front seat of the van next to her. She almost didn’t know her, Nayoung had only seen her a couple of times in SM, but that was all.

“ My name is Nayoung” her new manager nodded

“I'm Yu Yuan” the brunette also nodded “I'll also be your translator in case you have a problem with the language”

“Thanks” Nayoung said with a smile, during her training she had learned a bit of English and Mandarin, she was comfortable with her knowledge of the language and assumed that only the interviews would be somewhat complicated.

“Have you come here before?”

“With my parents before I became a trainee” this time it was her manager who nodded. Nayoung took her cell phone to send a message to Yixing.

"Where are you?"

"Working" He answer two minutes later followed by a new message "how has the trip been?"

"Well, shall we meet today?" she ask

Yixing's answer did not arrive. Yu yuan parked the van in the parking lot and told Nayoung to take the lead

“I'll reach inside” she said

The place they had arrived at was a towering building with at least twenty floors. Nayoung enter the reception and wait for her manager to enter to follow her in silence. They took the elevator to the twelfth floor, then they walked down a corridor and entered a dark place that Nayoung recognized as the recording studio.

Nayoung greeted those present introducing themselves. She didn’t recognize anyone and that made her a little nervous.  
Yu yuan left some minutes after, she said something about going to pick up another person, but Nayoung couldn’t listen really well.

Nayoung sat down paying attention to a singer who recorded the soundtrack of a movie. The feeling that he put to the song made her lose herself in the lyrics. It was a beautiful song and although she didn’t understand everything he said. Nayoung was sure that it would be a sales success. Then she received a message from her mom

"How was the first day?"

"It's going well, I love you" replied the brunette. Without paying attention to who had just entered the study, she felt someone sitting very close to her

“I'm here” Nayoung looked up meeting the boy's brown eyes as she restrained herself from hugging him and just smiled at him, they weren’t alone so she had to keep her composure, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Yixing was like an angel that healed with his smile. It felt good to have him so close and get to known him, she didn’t hhave an idea what she would do without him by her side.


	18. Feelings

Yixing recorded the song in Mandarin with Nayoung. The chemistry between them was undeniable everyone in the study could see it even when they didn't know about their rellationship at all. The way they both looked at each other was the reflection of a pure feeling that could be transmitted through their voices. This version was the favorite of both, because they had recorded it together in the midst of complicit glances and small displays of affection.

Yixing realized that Nayoung had a different attitude, she was more relaxed, she was smiling a lot, but even then he could still see the fear in her eyes, the fear of a new beginning each time he shortened the distance between them and gently brushed her hand. He liked to feel the skin of the girl and hadn't stopped thinking about her lips since the photo shoot. He wanted to kiss them, but it wasn’t time yet, Nayoung was going through many things and as much as he wanted her he wasn’t going to force her to decide and he wanted that first kiss between them to be with love, where both were convinced that regardless of anything they would love each other intensely.  
“Yixing” the sweet voice took him out of his thoughts. Nayoung taught him the lyrics of a song, he read them quickly and smiled at her  
“It's a good verse” he said “although I could add a few things” she looked down, feeling a little bit hurt  
“Like what?” she ask  
“You wrote it from the perspective of a girl and I could show you how it feels when a boy falls in love” his brown eyes looked at her all the time, it wasn’t his intention to bother her but he couldn't stop doing it, he wanted Nayoung to know how much she meant to him. He could feel how he was blushing and his heart was racing because of the reaction of the girl  
“oh! ok” she murmured  
“Are you ready?” asked the manager behind them. They both nodded and walked after the woman. Yixing turned back and then sideways to make sure there was no one and then took Nayoung by the hand. It felt good to pretend for a few seconds that she was his girlfriend. He had fallen in love with her since he saw her and if there was anything he wanted more than anything else, it was that she could love him, no matter if it was for a few weeks or even years.  
Yixing let go of Nayoung's hand a few meters before arriving at the reception, he didn't need the media or more fans pressure on Nayoung. The manager took them back to their respective bedrooms. First they left Nayoung and then him. The boy lay down unable to think of anything other than the girl. He found himself writing messages that he deleted without sending. He was looking for the perfect excuse to talk to her, but none seemed valid enough. He took his guitar and began to write a song, thinking about Nayoung's gaze, her smile and the way she altered every sense of him. He ended up composing some lyrics that fit the verse that Nayoung had shown him before. Yixing loved the strawberry smell of her long hair, the way it fell till her waist and the grace she had when dancing, the feeling she put on each song and the way her lips moved to pronounce his name . All that was magical. And then that feeling of emptiness returned. Who would have told he would grow so fond of her, there was no way to deny his feelings, but the truth was that no matter how hard they tried the distance between them would end up pulling them completely away.  
The first time SM sent him to China to promote alone, Yixing had every intention of maintaining contact with Nayoung, but overloaded schedules made it impossible over and over again. He ended up giving up and knew that would happen again when Nayoung returned to Korea. He dropped his guitar by the side of his bed and dropped his head onto the pillow. He rolled his eyes, he had to let things happen or he was going to go crazy. He was about to fall asleep when his cell phone vibrated, he read the message and smiled  
"Good night Yixing"  
“Good night" he replied to the girl of his dreams.


	19. Jealousy

After two long weeks of commitments. Nayoung finally had a day off. She woke up early and went for a walk. She wanted to clear her thoughts. Nayoung had spent the whole night without sleeping. She and Yixing had attended a conference the day before and when the event was over Nayoung saw him hurried out completely forgetting about her. 

Nayoung followed her manager silently hoping to meet his partner in the dressing rooms, but was disappointed again when with a quick glance she saw the boy's absence. Where are you Yixing? She wondered, then apologized to the staff arguing that she was a little tired and wanted to return home as soon as possible. Her manager came out next to her and when she was about to get in the elevator she saw the silhouette of Yixing hugging another girl. Nayoung looked away to meet the eyes of her manager who simply looked at everything in silence. They get in the elevator and reached the first floor of the building.

Her manager reminded her that she would be free the next day, Nayoung nodded slightly and continued without saying a word again.

Was she sad or angry? Did she have the right to be? What were they supposed to be? All the questions came at once and the truth was that she had no way of answering them. Until that day she had thought that between Yixing and she there was a good friendship, sometimes he approached her, took her hand and talked until late, both of them composed songs together, songs about two people who fall in love without wanting to. Was that normal among friends? It wasn't and Nayoung was sure of it, because Sunggyu and Dongwoo were also her friends and she had never done those things with them. 

She stared at the window. The streets full of people who come and go. Was she jealous? Maybe she was because she couldn’t accept the fact of losing Yixing, but she also didn’t want to admit that it had taken her a long time to realize that she wanted him, not as a friend, she wanted him as something else. She went up to her room and fell asleep immediately.

She wake up the next morning, she was feeling a little bit anxious, she went out to walk around, and while she was walking she felt alone, she called Sohee but her friend didn’t answer, minutes later she received a message

"I'm recording," she told her. Nayoung smiled as she remember her, she was glad that Soher was busy, it meant that the public was taking care of her and she knew that this was a good sign if you wanted to be famous. She walk a little longer and then decided to go inside a cafe. Nayoung was wearing a black sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, the mask on his face prevented anyone from recognizing her. She sat in the corner of the place next to the window and watched a couple in front of her. The two smiling holding hands. She felt lonely again. Since arriving in China, she had concentrated so much on her project with Yixing that she had no time to think about anything else. Nayoung knew things were fine with Myungsoo and Jungkook. Both of them clearly understood that it wasn’t the time to be with either of them, but she couldn’t say the same about Yixing. She felt bad. Was she forgetting his first love?

"Impossible," Nayoung murmured although no one could hear her. Her relationship sith Myungsoo was too complicated, she was grateful to Woollim, but she still wondered what would have happened if her agency had invented a project like the one she currently had with Yixing to clear the rumors. She and Myungsoo would still be together, there would be no Yixing or Jungkook. Only the two of them together and in love, but Woollim didn't want to take a chance and who would? If she was just a trainee back then. She took a sip of her coffee and returned her thoughts. Why did she have to remember him again? The two returned their freedom to one another and that was all that mattered. She was alone now and had to get over it.  
Nayoung sighed, she had spent at least an hour in the cafe. She stood up and returned to the hotel.

She sat on her bed and opened her laptop. An image of Sohee and she was on the wallpaper. A slight smile appeared on her face. Nayoung typed her name in the search engine and ran into her latest articles. Most mentioning their recent activities in China and one more that caught her attention. The transmission of their first conference. She opened the link and stayed watching a promotional photo. Nayoung was standing next to Yixing, both of them smiling broadly. At least six more photos followed that one. In all of them both were smiling, except in one where Yixing just stared at her like there was no one else there with them. Nayoung hadn't realized that, the way he looked at her when she didn't see him. She scroll down the article until she reach the comments, a habit that she has acquired since her appearance in Dating Infinite. The majority of the comments were positive

"They look good together"

"I love the song"

"I want someone to look at me like Yixing looks at Nayoung"

The girl blushed and looked back at the picture where Yixing looked at her. So why had he hugged another girl? She pulled up her laptop and stared at the ceiling of the room. What right did she have about Yixing? She also had her past, why was she being so hard on him?

She grabbed her things and left the room, being locked there wasn’t helping her at all. She asked for a taxi and in a matter of minutes she found herself at the entrance to Yixing's studio.  
When he opened the door the girl told him

“I think we have to talk Lay” Yixing watched her confused, only at first Nayoung had called him that way. He stepped aside and allowed the girl to enter.

Nayoung wasn’t wearing makeup and the dark circles on her face were somewhat visible so Yixing dared to ask  
“Is everything all right? “ She stared at him, was she angry? The boy wondered

“No, it's not” Yixing sat next to her, maybe too close but he didn't care. Then Nayoung's eyes met his and he saw that fear in her gaze again. Yixing touched her cheek and approached her. He remembered perfectly what he had said, that he would wait for his feelings to be reciprocated but he no longer felt capable of doing so. He needed to kiss her or ... 

He didn't have time to think anymore, Nayoung had hugged him holding on to him

“I love you Yixing” she confess, her voice was a slight whisper “I love you and I can't stop thinking about you” Yixing lifted her chin to force her to see him

"I love you too," he said. "I've loved you for a long time." Nayoung smiled slightly at him and then their lips met, gently enjoying every second. Why did she love him so much? Nayoung wondered and the answer came immediately. Because he was kind, tolerant and cared about her.

Yixing on the other hand wondered the same thing and the answer was that she was the angel who illuminated his life and gave him a new reason to be happy, she gave him the strength to face all adversities and he was ready to fight the world just to be with her.


	20. Past

In his trainee time Yixing had had a girlfriend. They had been together for two years and the boy had broken her heart saying goodbye to her for long periods. They barely saw each other for a few days every six months and he was aware that that would not take them anywhere. The situation was hurting them more than they wanted to admit. Still they clung to each other and finally when Yixing debuted they both understood that they couldn't be together anymore. 

That was the reason why Yixing was so understanding with Nayoung. He knew what it was like to hold on to a person you love and fight everything to stay by their side. He had gone through the same thing and understood that holding on would only hurt both of them, that there would be no happy ending. 

He met his love of the past again at the press conference and realized that things weren’t the same. He still loved her the way you love a memory that made you immensely happy, but he couldn't stop thinking about Nayoung. The girl had saved him from an agonizing sadness. Her kind smile was contagious among the disturbing sadness in which Yixing had sunk months ago. The first time he saw her, he realized how beautiful she was, she had an unequaled charisma and her eyes reflected endless emotions. His heart was beating faster and after that he wanted to know everything about her. He had the impression that someone had taken her to his life to make him happy again. 

That night when Nayoung went to his studio, Yixing was about to call her. He barely had a few hours without seeing her and he already felt that he missed her to death. What was happening to him? He was getting too fond. 

That is why when Nayoung kissed him he forgot all his fears, he felt that he was losing himself in the strawberry flavor of her lips, those lips that moved perfectly between his as if were planned that at some point in his life both would belong together. Yixing moved away from her to catch his breath. 

He look into her eyes and smile at her, then he lend his forehead on hers. 

“My heart goes crazy when you're here” he whisper “I don't want you to go” Nayoung thought the boy was being romantic and she loved it, she loved that “Stay” he asked and then Nayoung got the impression that he wasn’t only being romantic, he also was talking to her seriously 

“I can't” she said 

“please I don't want to get away from you, not while you're here” Nayoung smiled at him 

“Yixing” the girl whispered 

“please” his voice sounded irresistible and she didn't have the strength to refuse. Yixing hugged her tightly 

“I will talk to Yu Yuan” the brunette nodded without knowing what she was getting into, Yixing was not asking her to spend the night together, he wanted Nayoung to live with him all the time, at least while they were in the same country. 

Yixing later prepared dinner and while they ate Nayoung dared to ask him about the girl she had seen him with   
“It is my ex girlfriend” he answered immediately “I met her in high school” Nayoung nodded unable to ask anything else, but Yixing kept talking about it “I had not seen her since we broke up more than a year ago” 

“ Do you still love her?” He nodded 

“But I fell in love with someone else” Nayoung smiled slightly. She wasn't sure why life was like that, but now she knew the purpose of each person in her life. Everyone would teach her something for better or worse. 

“It's delicious” said Nayoung. Yixing nodded with a smile 

“at least you like it” I sigh “is the only dish that i can cook”   
They both laughed and before they realized they fell asleep next to each other, not caring about anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day. Who do you think Nayoung should end up with???


	21. First date

Nayoung and Yixing used every moment they alone to kiss or show affection to each other. The girl felt that for the first time she didn't have to worry so much about others, especially now that their manager Yu Yuan was aware of their relationship. Nayoung wasn’t sure what Yixing had said to her but she started picking them up both at Yixing's studio.   
At night when the two arrived tired from their respective activities, Nayoung played the guitar and sang to Yixing in Mandarin, she wanted to perfect her pronunciation. He always looked at her carefully and when they least expected it they realized that it was more than midnight. 

They spent too much time together, had breakfast, worked and slept together. Although in the last part Yixing had always been very respectful. He just hugged her at night while they shared the same bed. Nayoung was surprised to know this other side of the boy. Her first kiss had been tender and sweet, like a pretty dream, but over time Yixing kissed her more passionate, and even Nayoung could notice the effort he made to separate from her. It was as if she had discovered a more seductive Yixing and she loved that. 

Just now they were recording a program. Yixing turned to see her when the MC asked if Nayoung had a boyfriend and she saw Yixing bite his lip, he was looking at her with desire, she couldn't help feeling unprotected and the blush invaded her cheeks. She denied the question and the MC preferred to change the subject. However Nayoung had noticed the change in Yixing's attitude.   
When the cameras went out, Nayoung said goodbye to everyone and as soon as she left the hall she felt a hand take her by the wrist and take her inside a room. Yixing cornered her against the wall and Nayoung could see that look again 

“W ... what's wrong with you? “ she ask as Yixing's intense gaze was fixing on her and that’s when the brunette understood what was happening. Her stylist had recommended wearing a short, tight dress. Nayoung hadn't even noticed that detail until Yixing looked at her that way, and it didn’t take him a lot of time to kiss her desperately, his hands clung tightly to her waist and Nayoung just corresponded to his kiss. His lips moved quickly between hers and she soon felt his tongue enter her mouth, Nayoung didn't even have time to react when Yixing's hands went down to her hips and his body collided with hers. Then he bit her bottom lip and Nayoung had time to separate from him 

“Yixing” she whisper, his gaze lifted innocently when she pronounced his name as if waking up from his trance 

“I'm sorry” he whispered in embarrassment, again he was getting carried away by his instincts and was afraid that would take Nayoung away from him. They barely had been together for a fand he didn't want to rush things “ I'm behaving like an idiot” then he look up “ but I can't help it when I see you and ...” 

Nayoung interrupted him. She also felt that way, maybe not with the same intensity, but she also couldn't help looking at Yixing when he left the bathroom without a shirt or when his body was so close to hers at night and she wondered what it would be like to be in his arms. 

“It's all right Lay” she said, tapping him on the head “just don't do it in front of the cameras, it can be very obvious” Yixing smiled at her and kissed her a little more before leaving the room. 

After their manager left them in the studio Nayoung had the idea of going up to the roof of the building. At least it was the only place where they could have some privacy and be outdoors. She prepare some sandwiches and a delicious dessert while Yixing was taking a nap. She found a small blanket and put on something more comfortable to go out. Although technically they wouldn’t be leaving the building. 

A few more minutes passed before Yixing woke up. The girl rushed him to change and almost dragged him to the elevator. 

The roof was empty, there were at least thirty studios in the building, but by that time most people were at work or at school. 

The only thing Nayoung lamented about his profession was having to hide and be judged for even turning to look at a boy. 

The fans were quite strict about the love life of their idols and maybe that was Nayoung’s only concern, losing the support of those who meant their success or failure. 

She arranged the blanket and place the bowl with the sandwiches and set aside the dessert she had prepared. She told Yixing to sit down as she did the same thing 

“Well you made a great effort ” Nayoung nodded giving him a smile 

“I did what I could while you were sleeping” He put a hand in her head, ruffling her hair a little 

“I have hardly been able to sleep these days” he said, Nayoung had not slept either, she had many things pending and barely slept a few hours a day. She could see the boy's tiredness in his dark circles and also the way he smiled wearily. The brunette sighed and lay on the blanket. She stood there a few minutes contemplating the sky, not because the view was the prettiest, but she wanted to clear her mind for a moment. It had been a week since she last spoke with her members and she wondered if everything was okay. She hadn’t had the opportunity to know what they thought about her bussiness trip to China and her promotions with Yixing. They were still a recent group and SM rarely allowed them to focus on individual activities and she couldn’t help but think about it a lot. Suddenly she saw Yixing's face in front of her 

“What are you thinking?” She shook her head slightly 

“What happened after the article was published? “ 

“What article? “ Yixing seemed to be doing memory 

“where you and I had a relationship” the boy nodded remembering the moment 

“I only told the truth” Nayoung's heart rate increase thinking about a million possibilities “I told Kim Young Min that I liked you, but that there was nothing between us” Nayoung couldn’t even breathe 

“Why did you tell him that?” she ask, knowing that next time she would think twice what to say to Mr. Kim if they saw each other in SME. Yixing smiled again and took her hand, then kissed her forehead. 

“when you have the time that I do and you start to give yourself value in an agency, you start acquiring certain benefits, I also don't like lying to the public. That's why sometimes I talk about Luhan, Kris and Tao” this time Nayoung felt more comfortable with the answer, although she was just a rookie, Yixing had defended her and she feel thankful to him for defending her “ I admit that I would have liked to say that you were already my girlfriend” the boy's cheeks were flushed, his eyes open with a special glow that erased the tiredness of his face. Nayoung also blushed and then their lips connected. 

When they separated Yixing kept his eyes fixed on her 

“Wha… what?” she asked shyly, his gaze suddenly became too serious 

“Would you like to be my girlfriend?” Nayoung didn’t expect Yixing to ask that, since days ago the boy was dedicated to presenting her as his girlfriend, making jokes referring to her as his girl and Nayoung simply assumed that they were more than friends . However, Yixing was waiting for an answer, he didn't care about jokes or comments, he wanted to be sure that Nayoung was his girlfriend 

“yes, Yixing I want to be your girlfriend” she said with a wide smile “I love you Yixing” he kissed her lightly 

“ I love you too” he whisper looking at her as usual, with his eyes full of tenderness, love and kindness “so this is our first date" he said and she just nodded kissing him again. 


	22. Secret

Two months had passed since Nayoung left Korea and now she had to return for the end of the year presentations. She was excited to return to her home country and see her members. But she was also sad because she would spend two weeks in the country and couldn't see Yixing at that time.   
She focused on the positive. She would finally have time to talk to the Venus Vixens and clarify any misunderstandings that might have been generated since she went to China.   
As soon as she arrived at the airport, she received a message from her boyfriend 

"I miss you, have fun and don't take long to return"   
Nayoung smiled as she wrote the answer 

"I miss you too, have a nice day. I love you" 

Her manager led her to the Venus Vixens bedroom. The apartment was empty, for the little she knew the girls were recording a Christmas special. She dropped into bed and closed her eyes. 

When she woke up Nayounh saw Sohee getting rid of her makeup in the room 

“Good morning sleeping beauty” she said “you have a lot of things to tell me” Nayoung smiled and hugged her friend 

“you also have to update me” she demanded 

“About what exactly? “ Sohee became interesting “or about whom? “ Nayoung tapped her on the shoulder 

“I missed you so much” 

“me too” as they were hugging they saw Kim appear behind the door 

“ How was the trip? – she asked the girl joining the conversation, Nayoung told them everything except the details about Yixing, it was still very fast and she didn’t want Kim to worry about the group's image. Sohee also told her that she was recording a drama while Kim participated in a dance competition and Leyla in a variety show. The four of them were doing great. After catching up they went down to dinner. Nayoung sat on the couch and checked her messages. She only had one from Jungkook   
"I'm glad you're here, I saw your photos at the airport, see you later" Nayoung felt bad for being happy, now she had Yixing and as far as she remembered Jungkook wasn't just looking for a friendship. So she preferred not to answer and just sent a message to her boyfriend 

"Good night Yixing oppa" 

Sohee appeared beside her with a bowl of ramen 

“Who are you talking with that makes you so happy? “ Nayoung smiled slightly, then checked that they were alone in the room and told her friend 

“ with Yixing” Sohee smiled although it didn’t seem sincere   
“Something happens to you, tell me” said Nayoung who had the impression that her friend was hiding something from her 

“I don't know if it's okay to tell you or if you already know” Sohee bit her lip “in the drama I'm recording, L is part of the cast and just some days before I've seen him talk to a girl” Sohee paused again “ the crew says she is his girlfriend” Nayoung didn't feel sad, she didn't even know how she felt about it. She and Myungsoo couldn't be together it took her some time to finally admit it, but now she was with Yixing and she feel very blessed to have him in her life. 

“Sohee” Nayoung said calling the attention of her friend “Yixing and I, well, we're dating” immediately the worried expression of the redhead changed to a more cheerful 

“I'm very happy for you” she said wrapping her friend in a hug 

“but it's a secret” Nayoung warned her, Sohee nodded and let out an accomplice laugh 

“I promise I won't say anything” 

The girls went to sleep an hour later. The next day they had to go to SME to practice the new arrangements to their choreography for the end of the year festivals. 


	23. See you again

The choreography was perfect, it look phenomenal and there was only left a test for the outfits they were going to wear. Everything would be ready after that. They were two days away from Gayo Daejeun and Nayoung couldn't hide her joy. Her stylist had dyed her hair burgundy and if it weren't for Sohee's most intense red, most fans would have trouble distinguishing one girl from the other. They were very similar, they could even appear to be sisters. Both were tall, with white skin and big eyes, long hair, straight nose and yet, Sohee had a characteristic feature, a small mole on the left side of the lip which allowed most fans to find out who she was. br /> Nayoung was wearing a pair of torn pants, a green shirt and a white scarf when she arrived at the SBS building. They were going to rehearse the choreography with the corresponding costumes and do a sound test before the big event. She silently followed Kim through the halls. They ran into Red Velvet and Nayoung talked a little with Irene. During her trainee period Irene used to give her candy and encouraged her in the monthly evaluations. They liked to spend time together although lately they barely talked. 

Nayoung was reunited with the girls minutes later and when it was their turn to go on stage they ran into BTS who just finished rehearsing. Nayoung sae Jungkook a few meters away and immediately froze when he approached her. There were no cameras recording, no fans present. Only they and a minimum group of people who were part of the staff, although most of them were people in charge of audio and visual effects and of course they weren’t interested in looking at the interactions of the young idols. 

“Hey” Jungkook gretted her, Nayoung smiled at him feeling guilty 

“Hi” She just said. If there was something she hated wad feeling like that and having to hide the truth from Jungkook, but what else could she do? If that wasn’t the time or place to confess that she had a boyfriend. Fortunately, Jungkook kept walking without paying more attention and Nayoung couldn't help but sigh in relief when the maknae disappeared along with the rest of BTS. Then she felt Sohee pull her arm and take her to the center of the stage. 

Minutes later they returned to the dressing room, took off their gala attire, dressing again in their casual clothes. Nayoung checked the cell phone, on the wallpaper there was now an image of Yixing, but she had no messages. She barely had a week without seeing him and already felt that she missed him too much. Nayoung got used to his presence , to seeing him every day, having breakfast with him, working together and sleeping beside him. Not that they had intimacy, at least not yet, but Nayoung didn’t dislike the idea that Yixing was the first man in her life. And she wondered if it was the right time to take that important step. She couldn't help thinking about Myungsoo, with him she had never considered the idea, they were very young yet and neither of them was prepared, however there was something in the way Yixing kissed her that altered each of her senses and she was constantly wondering If she needed more of him. She knew that Yixing was a gentleman, that he would never take advantage of her and that made her feel more secure about her decision. That's why she hated herself when she couldn't control her emotion of seeing Jungkook, something in him was dangerously irresistible and she knew that it was best to stay away, because she didn't want to jeopardize his relationship with Yixing. He was everything to her and she wasn't going to lose him. 


	24. Gayo Daejeun

In the morning Nayoung received a message from Yixing 

"Good luck on your p, I know you'll succed" 

She found herself smiling while answering 

"I can't wait to see you again" 

Nayoung was anxious, her manager had brought them their outfits for the big night and the makeup artists would arrive in a couple of hours to prepare them. They had already practiced the choreography and even so Nayoung felt nervous, she was going to perform with the girls after a long time and she didn't want to make any mistakes. 

The day passed quickly and when night fell the Venus Vixen were already in the van on the way to the stadium where Gayo Daejeun would take place, after that they would have two more acts and then finally Nayoung would return to China with his beloved Yixing. She felt selfish about wanting to return, but deep down she didn't care, she was very happy, happier than ever to be able to work with the boy she loved, because she was definitely in love with him. 

The Venus Vixen got out of the van, greeted the fans and entered the stadium through an exclusive door, there was a huge room inside, where hundreds of people and staff were waiting for some indication. Among the crowd Nayoung could distinguish Exo, BTS, Twice and Sunggyu who came to greet her before the cameras started recording 

Nayoung hug his friend 

“How have you been?” he ask 

“Great” answered the girl “and you?” Sunggyu nodded with a smile, wearing very little makeup as his eyes looked smaller than normal, but he was his friend and Nayoung knew he had a big heart in addition to an incredible talent, no matter what the world thought of him, Sunggyu was a boy worth knowing 

“Where is Dongwoo?” immediately Sunggyu denied  
“It's just me” he said letting out a nervous laugh 

“Are you going to MC?” He nodded again, then put a hand on the back of his neck 

“Wish me luck” 

“Of course” the girl said, tapping her shoulder to encourage him “I know you will make it spectacular” he smiled at her and then stared at her unsure of speaking 

“Nayoung” Sunggyu said with a lower tone in his voice, as if he was ashamed of what he was about to say “ I know that Myungsoo and you ...” but Nayoung interrupted him 

“We are fine” She assure him with a smile “and regardless of that, you and Dongwoo are my friends, nothing will change it” the girl assured him. Sunggyu said goodbye to her calmer and although Nayoung didn't want to admit it, she understood why Sunggyu was worried. Myungsoo had restarted her life, just like her and as much as she avoided the subject, maybe they were both gradually forgetting each other, but Nayoung had not approached Sunggyu and Dongwoo just because of Myungsoo, they were her inseparable friends, her only company during her trainee days in Woollim and if there was anything she was sure was that if she married one day, she wanted them both to attend her wedding. The fact that they were no longer in the same agency and couldn’t talk like in the old times, much less now that Sunggyu was about to enlist in the army didn’t mean the end of their friendship. 

Sighing at the melancholy of the memory, it hurt to know that her friends would leave for two years and that was only the beginning of a long wait. Nayoung wiped a tear from his face, it was inevitable to remember the beautiful moments she had in Woollim, but she needed to be strong specially in that moment where she was about to go on stage and had to sing and dance as if it were the last day of her life or all the effort and tears wouldn’t have been worth it. He turned around and began to move through the crowd. There was something she had pending and wanted to end that once and for all. 

Nayoung greet BTS with a slight bow and apologize to them for talking alone with Jungkook. The maknae wore her hair in his characteristic style covering her eyebrows, he was dressed in a blue jacket and black pants and looked very good. In fact, he looked more handsome than usual. Nayoung acknowledged it with the typical feeling of guilt that cornered her every time she thought or was close to Jungkook. He smiled at her flirtatiously, not caring about EXO’s gaze at all. They were looking at him in a really bad way, especially Sehun who was very close to Yixing and her. Jungkook knew that the rumors were true, he had gone from denial to acceptance in a few days, thanks to the wise words of Namjoon who, despite not having much experience in love, ultimately knew more than he did. Nayoung was a beautiful girl and it was impossible for her to not have some fans or more than that, L and Lay were simply the bravest and he didn't plan to be left behind, not because Nayoung had a boyfriend currently meant they could never be together. So he didn’t care that others hated him for talking to Lay's girlfriend. Because while he looked at her with her beautiful and captivating brown eyes and that new tone in her hair, he felt his heart racing as he did when they first kissed. He was going to be patient and one day Nayoung would be his because the attraction that existed between the two was undeniable.  
But Nayoung had other plans, she wanted to talk to to him to say something he was already aware of 

“I don't know what you think of me and I feel bad for telling you this but I'm not sure what we are supposed to be” Jungkook raised an eyebrow 

“we are friends” he made it cleart “as long as you want” Nayoung became more nervous, that wasn’t exactly the answer she wanted, even so she smiled slightly against her own will, she didn’t wanted to show her nervousness. Anyone who saw them might think that instead of stopping Jungkook, Nayoung was flirting with him, so she forced herself to continue ignoring her thoughts, because they were only making thing more complicated 

“I have a boyfriend” she said finally, but Jungkook didn't even flinch 

“Is Lay?” the boy asked and she nodded 

“Yes and I don't want you to look at me that way” then Jungkook let out a crooked smile 

“ How?” he questioned with a playful tone 

“as if you want everyone to know” 

“know what?” He teased, but Nayoung held her gaze  
“I can only be your friend” she said although the words sounded harder than she planned. Jungkook approached her and whispered to her ear

“I know you're with him, I respect it, but as I told you the other time, I still like you and I can't and don't want to avoid it” then in a quick and discreet gesture he took her hand interlacing his fingers with those of she. 

Nayoung's heart beat harder and as much as she tried to hide it she knew that Jungkook was to blame, he keep doing this and she wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it made her feel so vulnerable. She was still talking with him when the staff announced the name of her group asking them to perform on stage, he smiled at her in an assure way and release her hand, although she continued to feel the his touch for the rest of the night.  
  
The Venus Vixen appeared in the middle of the show, danced to the rhythm of their debut song and presented an entertaining show with slight changes in the choreography and musical arrangement, the audience applauded when their presentation ended and returned a couple of minutes later to a join performance with other rokiees of the year. After that the senior groups began to appear giving longer shows and greater preparation in terms of scenography, music and choreography, giving each member space to present themselves individually. In a couple of days the Venus Vixens would no longer be rokiees and that meant great pride to Nayoung. They had passed the most difficult stage of their career.  
They went up on stage for the last performance, they were going to wave goodbye to their fans and then they would be free to go. In the distance Nayoung saw Jungkook joking with his friends, she couldn’t help smiling although she wished she hadn't done it when Sehun and the rest of Exo appeared beside her. Nayoung contemplated the expression of surprise on the face of her friend Sohee who stood by her side trying to hide the pink on her cheeks, Nayoung also wanted to hide, mainly because Sehun looked at her carefully, then he smiled kindly, something that Nayoung had rarely seen in the boy. Sehun turned away, happy to interrupt the exchange of glances between the BTS member and Nayoung. He was doing Lay a favor, because Jungkook didn't hide his interest in his friend's girlfriend. 


	25. New year

Yixing was preparing everything to move into a larger apartment, the small studio where he lived barely allowed him to have the most necessary items and he wanted really badly to offer Nayoung a more comfortable place. So he took advantage of the absence of his girlfriend to compare certain places and prices before choosing the final department. He wanted a wide place where he could compose songs and make arrangements with ease. He had little time to rest and yet his priority was to perfect each of his compositions. He didn't want to let anyone down. So, he chose a place near the center of the city and where Yixing could easily go to his work commitments. In addition, the department had two rooms that could be occupied by their parents or grandparents. Although what he most wanted was for Nayoung to agree to continue living with him.  
This was the day where finally, the girl of his dreams was returning from Korea and he wanted to ask if she would live with him the remaining three months. He was still unsure of the future, but he had convinced himself how important the present was wantas long as Nayoung and he were happy everything else didn't matter.  
He placed the last suitcase in his room and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. As much as he wanted to pick up Nayoung at the airport he was aware that this wasn’t possible. Both had an image to take care of.  
So he just cooked for his girlfriend. He lit some candles in the dining room to create a romantic atmosphere and he made sure everything would be impeccable. He had asked Yu Yuan to take Nayoung to the new department pretending it was a work commitment. His manager was an excellent person and quite understanding with them, she perfectly understood their youthful love and helped them in everything she could. Yixing reward her in return with an increase in her pay.  
The bell rang minutes later, he just finished serving turkey and pasta. It was a special night in many places around the world and he was looking for the ideal excuse to celebrate with Nayoung.  
Yixing opened the door and his girlfriend with a different look, her brown hair now a reddish violet color that made her look more daring and even sexier. He saw some photos of her, but they never made her justice, she was more beautiful in person. Yixing bit her lip as he invited her in, recognizing inmediatly the fragrance that characterized Nayoung. He close the door behind him and hug the girl tightly. He had missed her presence so badly. Nayoung smiled at him and then kissed him passionately as her fingers run through his hair  
“I'm glad you came back” Yixing confesses as she smiles again, maybe the smile never left her face and that’s why they seem so happy. Yixing thought he was seeing an angel, an angel in leggings and sweatshirt. She was perfect for him, his height allowed him to kiss her easily and he couldn’t deny that he loved when his arms circled her waist, when his eyes stared at her and when he told her that everything was fine because she was by his side. Nayoung had no idea how much he loved her, cuz there was no way Yixing could define it with words. So he stood there silently observing her specifically like a painter contemplating a masterpiece and then proceeding to kiss her gently.  
The food that Yixing had prepared was delicious and the turkey was complemented perfectly with the pasta. Nayoung remembered when her mother used to cook, when she returned home after months of training and only the smell allowed her to move away from the suffering and sacrifices she had faced to achieve her dreams.  
“It's delicious” she told Yixing who gave her a nice smile. She had missed him so much, then she look towards the window “I like this place, I feel like it goes more with your personality” Yixing nodded  
“I needed something more spacious and I also wanted to know if you want to live here with me, I have an extra bedroom and…” Nayoung interrupted him laughing at how quickly the boy spoke  
“Of course I want to” she said “I like being with you no matter where” Yixing forgot about the dinner, he stood up to approach her and kiss her on the cheek. Nayoung shuddered at the contact. Since she arrived she wasn’t entirely aware. She had an idea In her mind since she got on the plane, even before that. She wondered if it was too early. Nayoung had never felt anything like it and deep down she was afraid, afraid that Yixing would be disappointed in her, but the boy kept kissing her getting closer to her skin and soon she ealized that she didn't care, because she was tired of thinking of others first to make a decision, she was going to do what she wanted that night and she was going to forget the rest of the world for the first time. So he turned to kiss Yixing on the lips and then led him to the bedroom to get lost between the sheets of his bed. 

  
At midnight while Yixing slept peacefully, Nayoung woke up, she went out on the balcony and witnessed the fireworks that illuminated the sky announcing the arrival of a new year. 


	26. Sad song

Nayoung had attended an interview and Yixing had the day off so he sat at the piano by the window that allowed him to see the city. His fingers moved through the musical instrument and the result was a sweet melody. He hadn't been able to play the song in a long time, because it brought sad memories to him and now he was able to completely understood the feeling of the song, it wasn’t a melody for a broken heart, it was more than that, it was a celebration for a love that couldn’t be and still was a wonderful experience. That was what Nayoung meant for him. The girl had received a call two days before to confirm her return to Korea over the weekend, she had been in China for more than three months by now and she needed to return. Yixing knew what it meant, he always knew it, but deep down he wished that their time together could be extended a little longer, although it sounded selfish he came to think that Nayoung could move to China and that his group could also promote in that country . Of course, that was just a lie to console himself, because deep down he was sad to see her leave. 

Nayoung returned to the apartment a few hours later, Yixing barely spoke to her and the two sat down to eat in silence, without being able to face reality. 

Nothing bad had happened between the two. They never argued and their relationship could be said to be almost perfect. Nayoung learned to love him with all her heart. Because he had helped her heal all the wounds of a love truncated by fate. She was grateful to him for being so understanding with her, for sharing so many secrets and deep down knowing that a piece of her life belong now to him. 

She and Yixing met in such a common and at the same time so shocking way, because the way their souls made connection had no explanation, it was something beyond their understanding. Yixing wasn’t an unbridled passion, he was pure love, trust and admiration. 

And something told Nayoung that the boy's purpose in her life was much greater than conquering her heart. And now while she watched him standing there dressed in white playing the piano on their last night together she had finally understood. That his purpose was to teach her an important life lesson. 

So she watch him carefully trying to record every detail of him, although she learned to love him she also knew that she should let him go. 

Nayoung walked towards him and sat beside him, feeling the warmth of his body. He smiled slightly at her as if he understood every thought in Nayoung's mind. 

“Yixing” her words came out in a slight whisper. His eyes meeting hers “thanks” Nayoung said before she felt the words stuck in her throat as tears flowed through her eyes. He took her hand and brought it to her to kiss it. 

They spent the night together. Not minding that the world kept spinning. They only had that last night before returning to reality. The reality that would take them away because no matter how much it broke Yixing's heart, he understood that Nayoung wasn’t for him. That their story had been a magical and inexplicable encounter, but he couldn’t deny that from the beginning he already knew that the battle was lost, that, although they loved each other their destiny wasn’t to remain together. Because their times and dreams would get in the way complicating things and causing love to gradually extinguish. Nayoung had to go back to Korea and Yixing wasn't sure when he could see her again. So they agreed to say goodbye, spend a last day together and while she slept peacefully by his side he regarded her as the most beautiful gift that life had given to him and then allowed himself to cry for the first time in front of her. Drowning out the pain of losing something that was never meant to be. 


	27. Return

His singing voice was perfect, his dance was synchronized with that of the other girls and her beauty guaranteed her to be among the first places of search, even so, her heart was sad because she couldn’t see him, because the messages were no longer there as they were when she wake up or before sleeping, her life had taken a 180 degree turn now that she was alone in her bed. Without him by his side and there was nothing she could do to help it.

Sohee brought her a glass of water trying to cheer Nayoung, she turned on the TV and put on her favorite series, but Nayoung didn't even turn to see her. She felt defeated and no matter how much she had prepared for the farewell, her heart couldn’t accept the fact of losing him.  
Again, life was being cruel by taking what she loved the most after her parents. Nayoung thought about returning to Busan and letting her mother help her heal her wounds, but that wasn’t an option, she had to attend a presentation at Seoul University and there was nothing she could do to avoid it. She didn't want to disappoint anyone else. She still had a couple of hours to get ready so Nayoung buried her head in the pillow trying to sleep. Sohee patted her back and stroked her hair

“It makes me sad to see you like thiis” Sohee's voice was a slight murmur “why don't you talk to him?” Nayoung shook her head “I still don't understand why you can't be together if you love each other so much” Nayoung peeked half of her face from the pillow

“Yixing barely has free time and we would only see each other a couple of hours before he returned to China, also he would need to fly without raising suspicion” a few tears fell from her eyes “but even if that didn’t matter our second album is coming out and we will have more work than ever” Sohee understood perfectly the motives and yet it seemed too cruel that two people who loved each other so much had to finish that way.

Nayoung fell asleep after a few minutes and Sohee decided to leave her alone to rest. Before leaving the room, she took Nayoung's cell phone and copied two phone numbers, she would have copied the third if it weren’t for the fact that he was no longer on Nayoung's contact list. Sohee sent two equal messages

"Hi, I'm Sohee from Venus Vixens, I'm worried about Nayoung and I was wondering if you could call her"  
She threw her cell phone on the couch and dropped it before turning on the TV. Now everything depended on them.

Jungkook's cell phone vibrated a couple of times before the maknae decided to check it out, they had just returned from a practice and fatigue was evident on their faces. He was taking a bath when he received a message from an unknown sender and he prefer to ignore it while finishing his bath. Then he went out to the kitchen for a cup of tea and finally checked the cell phone

"Hi, I'm Sohee from Venus Vixens, I'm worried about Nayoung and I was wondering if you could call her"

He immediately got worried, but instead of calling Nayoung he found himself answering Sohee's message

"Where is she? I'd rather go see her"

He knew that he could get BTS into some trouble and that if someone in Big Hit found about it they would scold him, but he didn't care, heh quickly checked the response to his message, took his things and went to Nayoung's bedroom address .

It took him a few minutes to get there, I play the doorbell and was greet by Kim who frowned at him before letting him pass. He knew that he was endangering the career of many people and yet he hadn't bothered to cover his face, he didn't even have a cap or glasses that made him go unnoticed. When he arrive at Nayoung's room, he heard her talking softly with Sohee. Jungkook greeted them without explaining why he was there. Sohee apologized and left them alone so they could talk

“What are you doing here?” Nayoung asked, she didn't want to sound rude, but there was no reason why Jungkook was in her room

“It doesn’t matter” said the boy, walking towards her. Nayoung was sad, that was more than evident, she had swollen eyelids, a red face and disheveled hair, and despite all the fuss she looked more tender than ever. Jungkook helped her to stand on her feet by taking her hand and then wrapped her in a hug. It felt good to be so close, even if it wasn’t for a good reason. He didn’t like to see Nayoung sad at all, however it was the first time that the two were completely alone since the time were they kissed and Jungkook liked that he could at least offer her his comforting friendship.

_When Jungkook debuted there were very few idols of his age, he had always felt like a child surrounded by older people, however over the years, the new idols that debuted were closer to their age even being younger than he. And that's where he met Nayoung, he was so excited to know that for the first time the girl who he liked, was younger than him, he was excited that she could call him oppa or that she could simply feel protected in his arms._   
_Who did he want to lie to? If he had fallen in love with her since the day she debuted._

  
_BTS was waiting their turn in the waiting room, they had been there for at least forty minutes to record the music show. It was their final promotion cycle that ended with a presentation in Inkigayo, Jungkook and V spent time watching videos on Naver. Then J-Hope joined them by suggesting the new SM Town video. He didn't remember the name well but it was a new girl group. “All of them very pretty" J-Hope stressed with a smile from ear to ear_

_V deigned to play it and the three watched the video._   
_The song was repetitive and quite catchy, however the main singer demonstrated her vocal skills at the end of the second verse. Jungkook was surprised not only by her beauty but by her talent_

_“Nice” he said unintentionally, V turned to see him and smiled at him_

_“They are very tatalented” Hoseok nodded_

_“I intend to subscribe to his fan club” said the elder and V aldo nodded, then Suga joined them leaning on Jungkook's shoulder_

_“Did you knew they were going to appear on today's show” Hoseok couldn’t help but smile brigther_

_“ So are they here?” Suga nodded with a mischievous smile caused by the emotion of J-Hope_

_“It must not be long before they arrive, they will sing before us” he told them._

_Half an hour later the girl group appeared in front of them. They greeted them with respect and handed them a copy of their debut album. Jungkook tried to remember why he had not paid attention to them before and realized that they simply had not met in the waiting room. He felt like a fool for not taking his eyes off Nayoung, but he also knew he wasn't the only one, at least ten more boys were contemplating her just like him, however, she was very focused on other things to notice the world or even notice him ._

  
_Nayoung separated from Jungkook slowly, as if she didn't want to do it. She hadn't realized how much she needed a hug until he gave it to her_

“Thank you” she said trying to smile, Jungkook disheveled her a little more and sighed

“You can count on me for anything” he dedicate a smile to her, he no longer seemed so distant standing there, smiling tenderly, Nayoung had realized that Jungkook was full of surprises. He was a great dancer, he danced with intensity and professionalism, he was almost always serious and yet the way he smiled allowed her to see a different boy

“You aren’t from this world, are you?” Nayoung didn’t intend those words to come out of her mouth, what was she thinking?

“maybe” he said “Are you going to try to find out?” At any moment Nayoung would have said yes, because the attraction she felt for him was stronger than her conscience and yet she found herself denying the proposal

“Sorry” he said “It seems that I can’t help it” he hugged her again “I understand you Nayoung, I don't want you to think that I don't care how you feel, I just want you to have no doubt how much I like you” Why did it always have to be this way? Why did he have the ability to get into her thoughts and tell her exactly what she wanted to hear? That it wmaybe in the future they could be together.

Why did Jungkook have to be so cruel to intrude on his pain for the loss of Yixing andd make her smile? Why did life insist on crossing their paths? she had no answers, at least not now. So she preferred to stay there hugging him.


	28. Two years later

The Venus Vixens had concluded the promotions of their fifth album, until that day they had recorded a large number of programs, including V.V. Showtime, Weekly Idol, Running Man, also between the presentations for the musical shows, autograph signatures and other endless activities they barely had time to sleep for a few hours. Unlike his previous albums, in this one they had more than eleven songs, which had meant an exhaustive promotion. Nayoung dropped in the couch, followed by Leyla and Sohee. Kim on the other hand wasn’t done with her individual activities.  
The maknae of the group turned on the television.  
Nayoung smiled when she saw the image of BTS on the screen. The boys were doing great, they were a worldwide sensation and she couldn't feel more proud of them. The only bad thing about such success was that she and Jungkook barely had time to talk, they hadn’t spoken for a month, but she couldn’t be sad when he looked so happy to appear in such important shows.  
“Nayoung” Sohee was talking to her “ Tomorrow you start your vacation right?” Nayoung nodded, fortunately she had returned to her natural tone to prevent her hair from being damaged “I'm going to Busan to visit my family” Leyla stayed looking with doubt  
“Only Busan?” Nayoung nodded. So many things had changed in those two years, it could be said that she matured and that she learned a few lessons. She was about to turn twety-four and it felt like her life had a different meaning. All thanks to the time she spent to put her feelings in order. She had put a stop in her love life to avoid further internal conflicts. She forgot about Myungsoo, Yixing and Jungkook and dedicated herself to work, while in her spare time she perfected her linguistic and dance skills. It wasn't that love was bad, she was simply tired to spend her time thinking about love conflicts. Finally she concluded that her relationship with Myungsoo was already in the past, they had stop talking since two and a half years ago and they barely greet each other in music shows, in addition Myungsoo was about to start his military service, she wished him all the luck in the world, but she felt that he was no longer part of her life and she couldn’t blame him. Something similar happened with Yixing who, despite maintaining contact, was gradually moving away from her, that was also to be expected, with the preparations of the albums as a soloist he was surely very busy. He had traveled to Korea only once during the year and he only stayed two days, only Exo could see him and Nayoung wasn’t surprised that the boy didn’t find time to visit her. Jungkook on the other hand kept flirting with her, making it clear that he would wait for her and from time to time they had dates, they kissed and shared some time together, but there was nothing more between them, just a friendly game of provocations and insinuations, which allowed Nayoung to clarify her ideas. She had twenty-four months single. And she loved being like this, without complications, or broken hearts. She had understood that life has time for everything and she had rushed too much to find love. For now Nayoung was more focused on her career and wanted to stay that way for a while.  
She felt something heavy fall on her shoulder and realized that Leyla had fallen asleep  
“Maybe we should take her to her bed” she suggested to Sohee who shook her head  
“I don't want to, I'm very tired” Nayoung laughed when she saw her friend's pout and turned to watch the TV again.  
She wanted to be with her parents, she missed them a lot and couldn't wait to see them again. 


	29. Call

When Jungkook left the bedroom Nayoung hurried to get ready, the manager wont take long to be ther and she should be ready by then.  
Sohee was helping her lower the swelling of her eyes and Leyla was looking for some clothes. She barely had fifteen minutes to take a bath and get dressed  
"Do you feel better?" Kim asked behind her, Nayoung nodded. She knew how much Kim was worried about causing a scandal and felt that she was failing the girl every time a boy showed up in their apartment, but Kim said something that proved the opposite. She sat next to her and looked her straight in the eyes  
“You know, when I debuted I thought that the boys would only ruin everything that I get through a lot of effort” she stopped a few seconds before continuing “ but when I met Ken I realized that I was being very hard on you, I know that you have already gone through this and still you're going to fall in love again and maybe the world finds out or maybe not, the truth is that it doesn't matter, you know why?” Nayoung shock her head “Because it's your life and not theirs, so you can go out with whoever you want I will support you and I know that Venus Vixens will too” Nayoung smiled slightly.  
“Thanks Kim” she corresponded the smile. It was the first time they shared such an intimate moment and Nayoung was sure it wouldn’t be the last. 

\----------------‐--------------------------  
The public dismissed them with a loud applause, shouting the name of each of the Venus Vixens as they descended from the stage, it was later than 6 P.M. when they returned to their apartment . They all fell asleep except Nayoung who stayed a moment reviewing the latest news related to her name. She laughed at the search terms related her: Exo Lay, Infinite L, Dating Infinite. It seemed an absurd coincidence that she used to be the girlfriend of the two boys. She was tempted to select the Myungsoo term but ended up not doing it, there was no point in going back to the past. Sohee had already informed her that Myungsoo had a girlfriend or at least he was interested in her, Nayoung liked that. After all, it had been more than six months since they last spoke and none of them tried to contact the other, although Nayoung had to admit that she had to erase his number to avoid calling him. Then her cell phone rang, it was the tone that Yixing had chosen for her, she was nervous about the presence of her manager in the bedroom but finally answered the call  
“Hello?” she spoke with doubt, a lot of emotions appeared with the passing of the seconds  
“Nayi” his voice was barely a whisper, how much have she missed him “Are you all right?” No, she wasn't and yet she forced herself to lie to him  
“I'm trying to do my best” she answear attempting not to shed more tears. Neither of them spoke for several seconds  
“It's raining here” he said, it seemed a lament and Nayoung knew that he was as sad as she, she wanted to tell him how much she missed him, she wanted to leave the bedroom and take a flight to get to see him, she felt so alone without having him by her side and yet she stood there, without saying or doing anything, just preventing tears from sprouting from her eyes and her soul ached when she hear him say  
“I missed hearing your voice” then she couldn't take it anymore and began to cry, silently so that no one could hear it. She felt more alone than ever even when Sohee slept peacefully beside her  
“Me too” she whisper and Yixing realized that she was crying, he hated himself for being the reason for her sadness but the love between them couldn’t end overnight. They talked for an hour before the overwhelming silence appeared.  
Nayoung could then conclude that she had to be alone for a while, accept everything that had happened with Yixing and move on, it wasn’t the fault of anybody the suffering they were going through, it was the fault of life, time and distance, but it was not lack of love in any way  
“I'm going to listen to new endless love” she said “and I'm going to sleep every day thinking about you, until it stops hurting, but keep in mind that I'll never forget about you” Yixing listened to her in silence, his agenda prevented him from returning to Korea in a year and he wasn't going to force her to wait for him, he wasn't that kind of man  
“Nayi” he whisper again “ I'm going to miss you every day and every song I write will be thinking of you” she nodded feeling a little bit better, afterall they were going though the same pain  
“Don't worry about me, I'm not going to cry anymore” she promised, then Yixing laughed at the absurd situation, two lovers crying on the phone, relieving their sorrows  
“Do you promise me?”  
“I promise” Nayoung said more lively “ next time I see you I will greet you with a smile and you will know that you still occupy an important place in my heart, but that it no longer causes me pain” Yixing smiled on the other side of the line and she did it too “ it's a nice memory, right?” he nodded  
“It is”  
“Then you don't have to be sad Yixing oppa” 

They talk at least one and a half hour more, laughing at the good times, Yixing knew how strong Nayoung was and he should be too, he should be grateful for the time he spent by her side, for everything they shared, that was the really important thing and with what he would stay every time he missed her presence. A pure and beautiful love that was reciprocated, a beautiful memory that he will keep in his heart. 


	30. Home

Her manager appeared very early in the bedroom to take her to the bus station. Fortunately, the girls' success had been rewarded with a better apartment and a more comfortable truck. In addition, individual activities allowed them to earn more money and their status as Idols had improved over time. They were no longer rokiees at all. Nayoung never thought to go so far, she still remembered how she thought her dream had been truncated by that scandal that never really happened before her debut. Now everything seemed so far away. She was no longer sad, it just made her laugh to think about the life's game. She had lived on a roller coaster since her trainee days until her return from China and suddenly everything seemed to regain its meaning. She start to wake up happy again, full of enthusiasm for her activities and little by little she was the same girl as before. A little more mature, but also more aware of reality.   
She said goodbye to her manager   
“See you soon" Nayoung said with a smile   
“in a week” he reminded her “call me if you need something ” she nodded shaking her hand in farewell.   
The road home was very long, maybe it was because of the excitement of seeing their parents. It wasn’t that she had not seen them or that she didn’t talk to them every third day, but she wanted to spoil them and that they would spoil her too.   
Her parents were already waiting for her at the bus station when she arrived at Busan, she hugged them tightly and let them kiss her. Nayoung invited them to lunch and offered to pay the restaurant bill. It felt good to be able to return a little of how much they had given her. They were always by her side supporting her unconditionally and now that she was doing well, she wanted to share it with them.   
At nightfall they returned home. Nayoung was so tired that she went straight to bed. 

The next day she met her mother in the kitchen, Nayoung sat at the bar and watched her while she prepared breakfast, it was undeniable that the years had passed through her face, but her mother had a classic and captivating beauty. Nayoung's heart was filled with pride when someone commented that she was as pretty as her mother. She felt very grateful for her parents, they were hardworking and loving, always worried about her well-being.   
When she was born, the doctor warned Nayoung's mother that a second pregnancy could put her life in danger, so her father, as the understanding man he is stopped looking for another child. He didn’t want to expose his wife's health. When the brunette heard that story she realized how much they both loved each other and she wanted to find a love like that.   
“Hey! Are you ok?” Asked his mother and Nayoung realized that she had not paid much attention to what she was talking about   
“Sorry, I was distracted”   
“ Thinking about what? “ Asked her mom, putting a hand on her hip and raising her eyebrow   
“Why you didn't have any more children” she said sincerely “I always thought it was a very romantic story” her mother nodded “but what were you were telling me?”   
Her mother smile and turned her back to continue cooking   
“That the Jeons have sold the house and they moved out” Nayoung already knew it, even so she faked some surprise   
"Really?" Her mother nodded. She and Jungkook's mother were very good friends and that was the main reason why Nayoung never told her the whole truth about the boy. Neither of them wanted their relationship or their no relationship to affect their mothers' friendship. That's why they kept it a secret, although Nayoung didn't tell her parents about Yixing either, she was sure that no matter how much they loved her they would have seen with bad eyes that she lived alone with the boy. In fact, her parents only knew about Myungsoo, whom her mother recognized as a heartthrob and her father also granted him his approval by calling him son every time he went to visit them.   
Myungsoo was a good boy, he liked to make jokes and tell them interesting facts, he always had something to talk about and his person was quite far from his image on television. All in order to maintain an image of mystery that will captivate fans. But his parents had become very fond of him and Nayoung could sense the feeling of sadness when they both break up, mainly her mother who occasionally asked about him again. So Nayoung wasn’t surprised when she touched the subject   
“Have you seen Myungsoo?” Her mother ask, Nayoung quickly denied   
“but I know he is going to enlist soon” her mother sighed “You should talk to him, when a man enters the army is a time to define who are the people you can count on” Nayoung nodded, deep she knew her mother was right, but she didn't have Myungsoo's number and she wasn't sure how to start a conversation after so long. The two continued talking until their father came down to accompany them at the table and eat breakfast together. 

  
Nayoung couldn't stop thinking about her mom's advice. So she call Dongwoo to get Myungsoo's phone and when she finally had it she wait another hour to fill up with courage and type his number. She was nervous, so much that she was about to hang up   
“Hello?” was heard on the other side of the line   
“Myungsoo” said the girl “I'm Nayoung” there was a pause and then he asked her   
“How have you been? “ Nayoung stutters   
“We… well, what about you? “ Why was she behaving like that, like a high school teenager. Maybe it was the voice of Myungsoo more serious and masculine or the simple fact that she could be talking to a stranger, someone from the past whom she no longer knew , but when she hear him laugh Nayoung felt the same confidence as always   
“I thought you didn't stutter anymore” Nayoung also laughed nervously   
“I guess some things never change” she said and she was sure that it was, because only Myungsoo could make her stutter only he caused that effect on her, however she forced herself to interrupt her thoughts, she didn’t want to remain silent and to have a call uncomfortable for both of them so she ask him “ when do you start your training?”   
“in two weeks” he said “I already have everything ready and I'm going to take a couple of days to be with my family” Nayoung reminded Mr. and Mrs. Kim, they had always been kind to her   
“ Say hello to everyone” then she remain silent “ forget it” she said “ maybe they hate me”   
“Why would they hate you?” Myungsoo sighed “they still love you, even Monso still calls me an idiot for breaking up with you” Nayoung laughed, despite being younger, Myungsoo's brother always scolded him   
“It wasn't your fault”   
“I know” Myungsoo smiled on the other side of the line, despite the sad memories that the conversation brought him, he couldn’t avoid that gesture, which was nothing more than the simple effect of talking to her, then he ask her something unexpected < br /> “Are you still with Lay? “ Nayoung was silent, so much time had passed since then   
“no” she whisper and then he said nothing, he was wondering why she had called   
“Not that I'm glad” she hear him say “but at least I can see you without any problems before I start my service” Nayoung smiled slightly “where are you?” and then without thinking Myungsoo got the answer   
“In my parents' house, in Busan” 


	31. Cofee

Myungsoo got up very early, took a bath and eat breakfast, he had a couple of years without living with the rest of Infinite and although it had been difficult at the beginning now more than ever he appreciated his privacy, mainly if it meant avoiding questions about his appearance or who would he go out with and why was it necessary to use so much perfume. He saw himself one last time in the mirror and left the apartment. It had been a long time and he still remembered exactly where Nayoung's parents lived, in the past he accompanied her at least five times to visit them, Mrs. Lee was an excellent cook and loved Myungsoo so much that she always prepared him his favorite dishes.

Myungsoo arrived early at the place, they still left fifteen minutes before 3:00 PM. He sat near a window and let time pass while he contemplated the menu. He had thought so many things along the way, what he would say to Nayoung, if he should hug her or kiss her on the cheek and end up realizing that it wasn’t the best to think so much, there were a lot of possibilities and he didn't want to be disappointed. Then he hear some bells announcing the arrival of a new customer to the small cafe. He didn’t have to look up to recognize her way of walking and couldn’t prevent his heart from racing.  
“Some things never change” he muttered to himself. Not only was Nayoung still stuttering when talking to him, Myungsoo's heart also reacted in the same way, as when he was younger.  
Myungsoo stood up to greet Nayoung who received him with an effusive hug and he couldn't contain the desire to kiss her on the cheek. It didn’t matter if someone recognized them. He was no longer the same child as before and he was about to start his military service he could only ask for a good company before that. Nayoung was a little surprised by the contact and quickly walked away when she realized how close they were. She could smell Myungsoo's perfume, the same as always. Nayoung smiled  
“You look good” she said to the boy who returned the smile, even after such a long time he kept that expression, so different from the times that both were in a recording room, where they only greeted each other without any expression completely suppressing any feeling. It was a silent agreement between them and that had been respected until that day. Nayoung knew that she wouldn’t see Myungsoo in a long time, the boy would enlist in the marine corps, which meant few vacations and little free time. It was a sacrifice that would bring many rewards in the future for him, including the recognition of the public who admired those who entered in active duty more than anything. Nayoung was also proud of him and a little worried, but she didn't want the boy to know, because now more than ever he needed the support of his family and friends.  
Myungsoo and Nayoung talked for hours, about work, family and in general about their life experiences. The two smiled like two teenagers, even the coffee manager could tell how close they were and felt sorry to have to remind them of the closing time of the place. They were so immersed in the talk that they didn't even realize that the sun had already set. Myungsoo invited Nayoung to another place. He wanted to visit it before, but he wasn't able to do it alone, not after all the memories it brought to him. They were happy memories that only served to keep him in mind how happy he had been at that stage of his life. When Nayoung was in Woollim and he could see her almost every day. Nayoung agreed to accompany him. It was a hill, a lonely and beautiful hill where both used to spend time when Nayoung visited her parents. That was the only place where they could be free, talking for hours without having to hide from others.  
It took them fifteen minutes to arrive. By then, the sun had completely hidden and the stars began to appear in the sky. Nayoung lay down beside Myungsoo and they both looked at the sky, like the first time they were there together. When they loved each other innocently. Before everything got complicated and the destiny that had united them was the same that was responsible for separating them.

Myungsoo left Nayoung at his parents' house and finally said goodbye  
“Well” said the girl with a smile trying to cheer him up “I think I should wish you good luck"  
"I don't need that," replied Myungsoo, "I know I'll be fine," he assure her, "but I would rather” he stopped, his gaze meet Nayoung’s eyes and then he smiled again Nayoung felt his gaze, as if he wanted to expose her and for the first time she clearly understood Myungsoo's intentions  
“I'm just going to kiss you” he said before approaching her and depositing a kiss full of love on her lips, he missed her without knowing it and he showed it to her, because although he wasn’t afraid, he needed to do what it made him happy for the first time. So he bring her closer to him, intensifying the kiss and let himself go without thinking about anything but his happiness.


	32. Video call

Nayoung closed the door behind her, she still felt the weakness in her legs and her heart was pounding. Everything had been perfect, too much and yet she was sad because she knew that once again it wasn't the right time to be with Myungsoo. Perhaps it never would be, because life seemed to insist on separating them even after such a long time.  
Nayoung sighed and sat on the floor. The house lights were off, it was late and her parents were probably already asleep. She put her hand in her lips, lightly brushing them as she remembered the kiss with Myungsoo. She can still feel it, she can still smell his perfume impregnated on her clothes and there was no doubt that she still wanted him, no matter how hard she tried to think otherwise. Nayoung stayed there a couple of minutes before getting up and heading to her room. She was going to try to sleep, because once again there was nothing she could do to be with him. She was tired of denying it all the time. She was no longer going to hide that she loved Myungsoo, that even after such a long time he continued to occupy a very important place in her heart. 

She lay on the bed, hugging her pillow and smiled like a teenager when she realized she was in love for the first time. Myungsoo had told her something, something that was true, no matter what happened when two soulmates are destined to meet no matter the circumstances or motives, they will always find the path that leads them to be together. Myungsoo also told her that during those two years Nayoung was free, free to do and see whoever she wanted, he didn't want her to wait for him, he couldn't ask her that. 

The next day Nayoung woke up late. Her parents were gone to visit some close friends, so she was alone at home. Nayoung was about to leave her room when she heard the peculiar tone of her cell phone She hurried to answer, the incoming call was from Jungkook. They had aa lot of time without talking and sometimes their free time was so little that they could barely speak for a few minutes.  
Nayoung smiled as she answered the video call  
“I just woke up” she said trying to make fun of her misaligned appearance, but Jungkook didn't smile, he was too serious  
“Why did you have to see him again?” he ask her and Nayoung quickly understood who he was talking about, Jungkook had a straight face, he had never spoken to her in such a beaten and aggressive way  
“Jung ...” Nayoung almost said but he interrupted her  
“Do you know what Nayoung ?, I think I'm tired of not knowing what we are, I'm tired of not being able to tell anyone that you are my girlfriend because it happens that you really aren’t ” Nayoung keep silent, she supposed that some paparazzi or fan had photographed her talking with Myungsoo and although for the world those photographs didn’t show much, for the Jungkook it was a different story  
“I'm sorry Jungkook, I didn't know you felt that way” she said “I thought it was fine for you” Jungkook's voice softened a little  
“ I just got tired of waiting” a series of sounds flooded the other side of the line, they were a lot of male voices and Nayoung knew that they were the other members of BTS “ I'll call you later” said the boy before finishing the call. br /> It took Nayoung a few seconds to recover and when she was about to leave her cell phone she stared at the picture she had as her wallpaper. She and Jungkook were smiling posing next to the first Billboard BTS received in the United States. Maybe Jungkook was right and he more than anybody else deserved a chance. 


	33. Real

The holidays were about to end when Nayoung returned to Seoul. The apartment was alone, Sohee was supposed to return the next day and Kim and Leyla would do it two days later. Both had decided to travel aroun visiting cities like Paris, London and Rome. Nayoung had viewed each of the photos that the girls shared through Instagram. The Venus Vixens had become a phenomenon in Korea, practically everyone knew them and much of that success would be needed in the amount of activities that were carried out individually or in groups. Sohee had focused on acting, Leyla and Kim had a great talent for variety shows and Nayoung used to appear in singing programs, performing ballads of great vocal requirement. She was positioning herself as one of the most talented idols. Nayoung dedicated herself to unpack her suitcase, she hadn't packed too much and yet it was tedious to have to accommodate some things. For her it was a nuisance to have to prepare her suitcase again and again, because she needed to be careful not to repeat the clothes, or try to avoid criticism of any kind, that includes the headlines of articles that made her look bad, especially if she took in she already had two scandals or something like that, she hadn’t yet seen the photos with Myungsoo, she hadn’t even received a call from her manager or the agency. As time went by, Nayoung was assimilating that a scandal wouldn’t end her future, that fans could create a lot of theories, there were even idols that had not even crossed a word and yet many people believe they were a couple. Nayoung had it clear when she saw a photo of her and Cha Eunwoo that went viral. Back in the daay The Venus Vixens’ bedroom had been full of laughs, mainly because the boy in question was actually Sohee's boyfriend, and he wasn’t looking at Nayoung but Sohee. Eunwoo had turned to see his beloved Sohee who was hiding behind Nayoung. When she was a rookie, Nayoung had worried so much about the small details and now she was aware that only a compromising photograph could put her in real danger, meanwhile SM could easily deny any rumor or simply ignore it.   
Nayoung finished unpacking when she hear the doorbell of the apartment, she didn't expect anyone, at least not yet.   
She went to the door and could see through the camera the face of Jungkook. He had no expression, but his body language told Nayoung how anxious he was.   
Nayoung opened the door and analyzed the boy's cold stare in his eyes. Was he angry? Or had he forgiven her? Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, pulling a few strands back and then his hands hid in the pockets of his pants   
“I thought you wouldn’t return until next month” she say as he leans against the hall wall avoiding the look of Nayoung, he no longer looked so angry, it even seemed that he was a little embarrassed   
“I couldn’t leave you more time alone, you are able to fall in love with someone else if I’m not with you” Nayoung blushed, even she could laugh out loud at that comment, although she didn’t, Jeon Jungkook was making her a tantrum, the bad boy, the one who didn't laugh at anything or pay attention to anyone was behaving like a child   
“Are you jealous? “ Nayoung asked just to annoy him and then the boy looked up and his eyes met hers again, Jungkook stepped to her dangerously approaching, a sudden heat etched Nayoung's body, the boy's threatening look was putting her nervous   
“Are you playing with me? “ he ask in a low voice, Nayoung swallowed and unconsciously took a step back, as if trying to take refuge in the doorframe   
“no” she said weakly. Jungkook smiled sinisterly and then cornered her against the door, Nayoung's legs were shaking “Jeon Jungkook” she whisper even though it had no effect   
“Nayoung. I told you” his warm breath hit the girl's face “I told you that I was tired of waiting” Nayoung closed her eyes, feeling suffocated, as when a hunter cornered his prey and for his misfortune she was Jungkook's prey , the BTS maknae with whom she liked to fool, who used to annoy her, who flirted from time to time and with who she used to talk when loneliness stalked them, that boy for whom many idols were crazy, the same who ignored a woman trying to get close to him and who didn’t like to be called oppa. That was Jungkook and not the man consumed by the jealousy that kept her cornered, the same one who quickly approached her lips and left her breathless. 

Jungkook kissed her intensely, drowning his emotions and transforming them into an uncontrollable passion, he was patiently waiting, but he was just a friend to her, he was always the second option. Not that Nayoung did it with intention, it was simply that her distraction didn’t allow her to realize how crazy he was for her. He had been trying to make her his girlfriend for years. Jungkook had used different tactics and none had achieved the desired effect. Nayoung simply lived in a cloud, a cloud to which only Lay and L had access, their two knights in shining armor, but Jungkook couldn’t be a knight, because when he was with her, regardless of the tender looks or the sweetness that the girl radiated, he could only think of her in another way, he thought of her bare skin, of biting her lips while kissing her and of making it clear that he could no longer control himself, not when someone else approached her to steal her heart   
“I love you” he whisper in a voice so seductive that it gave chills to Nayoung, Jungkook's hands went down to her hips and they stood there holding them firmly, she looked at him for a few seconds, of course he loved her, but the kisses were no longer enough “And yes, I'm jealous of anyone who comes to you” he confirm before kissing her again “unless you make it clear that you're mine” 

The two entered the apartment, still kissing, trying not to trip over the furniture. Nayoung took off his shirt and dedicated himself to observing his naked torso for a few seconds, then his hands toured him as if it were a work of art, she didn't even remember how it was that she and Jungkook had become so close, nor remembered because they had never taken the next step and their secret meetings were limited to watching movies, playing video games, singing in a karaoke or talking about a lot of nonsense, but Jungkook had never touched her, even when the kisses rose in intensity and the heat of their bodies became unbearable. Nayoung wondered why? she stop kissing Jungkook who looked at her confused   
“ Is something wrong?” he ask her immediately feeling guilty, he had the feeling that everything between them was ruined   
“Why now?” she answer with another question, although Jungkook didn’t know how to respond   
“Why, what?”   
“This” she said raising her voice a little, something that Nayoung didn't use to do, Jungkook stroked her cheek   
“I wanted you to be my girlfriend, I wanted to wait for you to feel the same, so I never tried anything” Nayoung held his gaze   
“And why didn’t you just ask me?” Jungkook noticed the pain in her voice, he stroked her cheek tenderly trying to comfort her   
“I guess I was afraid of your answer” a weak smile formed on the boy's face, Nayoung looked up   
“ Ask me”   
“Now?”   
“Now” Jungkook took her hand and stared at her, sweetly   
“Nayoung, do you want to be my girlfriend?” she smiled and threw herself into his arms   
“Yes! Jungkook" she said in a cute pitch “ of course I do” Jungkook laughed with joy holding her tightly and then kissed her, without doubts and without fear. There was nothing left to prevent the world from knowing that Nayoung was his, even if it was only that night, even if it was only in a dream, but she was there and it was real. For the first time it was real. 


	34. First date

Nayoung was embarrassed to admit that despite having spent the night together, she and Jungkook would have an official date for the first time.  
The sound of the shower woke up Jungkook early who was immediately happy to remember last night. Nayoung and he had been together for the first time. The boy entered the shower surprising the brunette. He wanted to be with her, not to miss a moment, even when that meant traveling more than twelve hours to be by her side. Nayoung smiled at her, her cheeks were flushed and the water that fell down her face made her look more natural, even more real. Jungkook gently bit his lips  
“You look beautiful” he whisper “you are incredibly beautiful”  
“Excuse me, I’m the one who can’t stop looking at you” Nayoung say “you're a bad boy"  
“A bad boy? “ he questions  
"At least yesterday you were," she explained, "while you took my clothes off." Jungkook blushed and dodged her gaze, he still didn't understand how she could make him so nervous. Nayoung laughed, he loved to see her that way. Jungkook was her only friend and now she could say they were more than that  
“Hey” he said to get her attention, “why don’t we go for a walk” Nayoung nodded  
“Is it a date? “  
“the first of many” he assure her. 

Because of their work, Jungkook and Nayoung had to take care of the cameras, the fans and anyone who could recognize them. So they only had two options, leaving each one by their side or not leaving.  
Jungkook was thinking a long time and came to the conclusion that perhaps they had a third option, to go undercover in a car in which they didn’t attract attention. So he rent one and invite Nayoung to a small restaurant, with an incredible view and that conveniently belonged to a close friend of Jungkook. There would be no problem if he had it closed for a few hours.  
The restaurant was located on a mountain, surrounded by trees and flowers. It was the ideal place to have the first date and he knew that Nayoung would love that place.  
Jungkook asked his friend to decorate the site with flowers and candles. He also order a bottle of wine and a menu that would melt Nayoung's palate. However, the most important thing for him was that she felt comfortable, he wanted to show her how much he loved her and Jungkook wasn’t going to miss the opportunity she had given to him.  
Jungkook smiled as he remembered how they met, that moment was so present in his memory that he could describe every detail. He even remembered Nayoung's confused expression when he found him in her parents' kitchen.  
Jungkook had refused several times to sell the house, convincing his parents that it would be best to keep it, but finally they had put it up for sale without consulting him and that decision had annoyed him some time. It was the only way Nayoung and he sometimes met. He was so upset that he stopped talking to his parents for at least a month although he finally ended up understanding their decision, there was no point in keeping that house if his parents lived in Seoul. He was in love but he wasn't dumb. And now that he thought about it, he also remembered clearly the day he realized that he was hopelessly in love with Nayoung. The truth had struck him like lightning, it was the same day Sohee sent him a message. So while he went back to the bedroom, he found himself full of rage, he wanted to kill Lay for being such a coward and letting her go, what an idiot he was for ending up with a girl like Nayoung, so sweet, so beautiful and so perfect. How cheesy those words sounded now. Almost as cheesy as the ones that came out of his mouth when Taehyung asked him what he felt for the girl and he just replied that he wanted to see her happy even if it wasn't with him. Oh big mistake, now he could understood it, because he didn't tolerate the idea that someone else would make her happy, not when he could do it too. 

Nayoung watched the landscape, everything was perfect in that place, the lights, the company, the scent and the food, the food was delicious. She take one last bite and enjoy the combination of flavors  
“It's as good as your mom's food” Jungkook said and she nodded  
“It's true” Nayoung answer “you know, sometimes I want my parents to live here with me” Jungkook shook his head  
“Then I couldn't stay in your apartment” Nayoung blushed  
“Jeon Jungkook could you stop talking about it?" he smiled playfully  
“no” he said “I want to be with you again” Nayoung shot him a murderous look  
“It won't be possible” she reminded him “Sohee comes back tonight” and then Jungkook's smile widens a little more  
“Then we will have to go to my apartment” he sentenced arching an eyebrow coquettishly, Nayoung gave him a smile and he returned to the subject “ if you want your parents to live in Seoul you would have to have an apartment for yourself”  
“I've been thinking about that” NaYoung was silent “ today I have been asked to meet with the director of SME and there are rumors “ Jungkook frowned trying to decipher where the conversation was going “ they want me to release a solo record” Nayoung stared at him, her face was relaxed and the voice with which she said it was calm as if the idea didn’t surprise her nor make her happy  
“That's great” Jungkook said hugging her  
“mmm” she muttered “I want to say I'm not ready yet”  
“Why?” he ask “you're a great singer and a good dancer and you compose your own songs, in addition the public loves you”  
“It isn’t just that” she said “ the manager told Sohee that we obtained better income with our individual activities, I'm afraid that SM's plan is to separate us” Jungkook touched her cheek  
“I know how you feel, it's a difficult decision, but I also know that the girls will understand” he stopped for a moment to think what he was about to say “this is unpredictable and sometimes there are opportunities that don't always seem like the better option, but they end up bringing rewards you never even imagined”  
“You're right” Nayoung took him by the hand, it felt good to have someone, his parents would always support her but they didn't understand exactly the ups and downs of the profession. On the other hand, Jungkook had faced so many challenges that it was impossible to ignore his advice “thanks” said the brunette 


	35. MAMA

After a long wait and a lot of days without seeing her boyfriend Nayoung would finally meet him at MAMA. Their relationship remained a secret for the general public, but most of the idols were already aware, after all the looks that the two exhanged couldn’t go unnoticed. 

Unfortunately not everything was perfect and the distance used to separate them for long periods. Jungkook would spend a few days in Hong Kong after a month of absence in the United States and Nayoung would only stay a few hours while the event came to an end. She also had commitments in Japan and Taiwan and her agenda wouldn’t allow her to take a break. 

Fortunately SM had given the Venus Vixens one more album, although they continued to show a lot of interest in Nayoung's solo career, and if that added to the success of Sohee who was positioning herself as an important actress of the new generation, the future of Venus Vixens was somewhat uncertain. SM had promised them one more record and then they would talk about the future. However, all the stress and worries gradually disappeared as the time approached to begin such an important ceremony. Nayoung was ready, wearing a wine dress that left her shoulders bare and adjusted to her waist. It was short in front and long in the back. The hair reaching her waist combed in simple waves and the makeup a little darker than normal. Nayoung thanked her stylist and moved down the aisles until she reached the back of the stage. She greet a few acquaintances, it wasn’t that she had many years in the industry but a lot of idols were already younger than her, so she dedicated herself to answering her greetings and trying to motivate them to make the show a complete success. She felt a little weird being alone on that stage for the first time. These kinds of ceremonies were very long, they were always a bit tedious and now she didn't have no one to talk to. Nayoung sighed when she finally saw BTS arrive. Taehyung greeted her with a hug and felt the idols' eyes settle on her when Jungkook approached and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. That wasn’t normal at all, anyone could see them and yet he didn't care. They had been dating for more than six months and he was more than prepared in case a photo together ended up in the news. Nayoung blushed a little and preferred to avoid the curious looks from other people. She greeted the other members and stayed close to J-Hope to avoid more murmurs. He smiled at her and then he approached to whisper something in her ear   
“You look very pretty Nayoung” the brunette thanked the compliment trying not to laugh at the murderous look that Jungkook dedicated to Hoseok   
“If you excuse us” said the taking his girlfriend's hand – we are going to be on the hall”   
Nayoung knew that Jungkook was joking, it was impossible for BTS to fight for a girl, and J-Hope had already made it clear to her that he was in love with a childhood friend and that he was waiting for the right time to propose to her. Nayoung was still laughing at Jungkook's expression when they reached the hall and ended up encountering a surprise that quickly erased the girl's smile.   
“Yixing” she said in a whisper. Jungkook stared at him, trying to hide the rage that grew inside of him, he thought that although Nayoung and Lay belonged to the same company, the boy's activities in another country would make a reunion between them more complicated and so it had been, but the moment of truth had come hitting Jungkook wildly.   
Yixing was spechless, he knew that one day he would see Nayoung again, but he didn’t expect to see her accompanied and much less expected her to look so beautiful in that dress that exposed her great legs. Yixing instantly regretted his last thought, he swallowed saliva and found some courage to talk to her   
“Long time without seeing you Nayoung” he said without even paying attention to the boy's furious gaze, Nayoung smiled weakly, she had a lump in his throat and wasn’t sure what she should say   
“I didn't know EXO would show up today”   
“Not EXO, just me” Nayoung fell silent again for a few seconds, then looked to his left and remembered Jungkook was next to her, he had a tense posture and defiant gaze that keep staring at Yixing   
“He's Jungkook, my boyfriend” Yixing nodded, stretching his hand. Nayoung didn't want to hurt either of them, but there was no other way, Yixing was his past and Jungkook was his present.   
Jungkook reciprocated the greeting, his tension had diminished when Nayoung admitted to Lay that he was her boyfriend, for a second he had doubted that the girl would be able to say it out loud for two simple reasons   
1\. She was a kind person   
2\. Lay had meant so much to her and he knew that seeing him again was bringing her a wave of memories   
“I see” Yixing said “I hope you’re very happy together” he had to admit that the words were leaving a bad taste in his mouth and still he was unable to wish something bad to Nayoung.   
The girl smiled a little more relaxed “Then, see you later” she said. Yixing smiled back and when Nayoung and Jungkook both turned to follow their path he called his attention again   
“Jungkook” he said raising his voice a little “treat her well”   
The BTS maknae let out a groan “ you don't have to tell me that, I know very well how much Nayoung is worth” 

  
It was a few minutes before the start of the performances, Jungkook and Nayoung were about to return, the girl seemed lost in her thoughts and it was starting to annoy Jungkook that neither of them could talk about the incident that had just happened, Jungkook turned her around to make sure no one could hear them and then he take her hand   
“Are you all right? “ She looked at him silently, her beautiful eyes were staring at him, she looked sad   
“Yes” although Jungkook was not at all convinced that that was true “ it's just that it took me by surprise” he nodded and then dodged the look of the girl who was still seeing him in the eyes, he didn't want to get mad at her because he knew that after that night he wouldn’t see her again in a long time “do you want to talk to him?” she shook her head slightly “it doesn't bother me” Jungkook explained “it hurts me to see you like that, so sad”   
“I'm not sad” assure Nayoung “but Yixing was my friend and I didn't think the day would come where talking with him would be so uncomfortable”   
“ That’s what happens” Jungkook said “ that's what happens when you fall in love and give yourself completely, there is no way to go back" he explain “and things are completely over. I'm sure you were very important to him and he will always remember you with love, I would do that” Jungkook's voice became a whisper “if one day we break up I would remember you all my life, but I couldn’t be your friend anymore” Nayoung was avoiding her need to cry   
“Why does it have to be like that? “   
“So that someone else can be happy with you” Jungkook said putting all his effort so that his voice didn’t break. Nayoung approached him and kissed him, she had lied to him, she was sad, very sad and although she was glad to have Jungkook by her side she couldn’t help feeling guilty for hurting Yixing, she had seen it in his gaze, in the way his body tensed when he saw Jungkook with her and she felt very guilty for being happy at the expense of others. 


	36. IU

Eight months have passed since she and Jungkook started dating officially. Fortunately, no one had taken photos of them. Unfortunately for just that moment she wanted to be different. In the middle of the morning while Nayoung was reviewing the latest news related to her boyfriend she saw something that upset her. 

"Jungkook and IU in a secret relationship" 

Nayoung had never been jealous for anything, but that article and others with similar headings appeared everywhere showing evidence to relate IU and her boyfriend, from bracelets to places they shared on their Instagram. Nayoung had been through that many times, but now it was different because her name wasn’t involved at all with his, even in her past relationships she used to be the first term related to Myungsoo and Yixing. 

She wanted to call Jungkook, but it was too late and she wasn't sure where the boy was, she didn't wanted to bother him for a silly jealous attack, so uncharacteristic of her. Instead, she clicked on a video with the clear intention of torturing herself a little more. Jungkook spoke so greatly of IU and a new sensation engraved Nayoung’s body. IU was pretty, she couldn't and wouldn't deny it, but Jungkook was her boyfriend and she couldn't ignore that it bothered her when he talked about another girl 

All that was happening because SM had put her in a solo promotion, if she was with the girls, she wouldn't have had enough free time to look for such absurd things. 

For a second Nayoung was about to close the laptop, it was the most mature thing she could do in those circumstances, however an evil entity possessed her and she clicked on a new video "BTS’ Jungkook and Black Pink's Lisa moments "

“¿Are you kidding me? She asked herself, she had fallen into the trap and now it was too late to return. There were a lot of rumors and all as insignificant as the previous one. Jungkook just looked at the girl for a few seconds and it was already a great event. 

“It's just a look” she told herself, she and Jungkook had more than that, but nothing, there was nothing to relate them, not even a photo at least not a recent one. 

Then her phone rang, she had a new message 

"I'm thinking of you" 

She hurried to answer, although a message was not enough, she call Jungkook and the simple fact of hearing his voice reassured her 

“I miss you” she said without greeting him 

“I miss you too, it's only a few days left” 

“I know” she whispered 

“ Does something happen?” Asked the boy 

“ Do you like IU?” Jungkook's laugh was everything she could hear 

“What?” he ask 

“ I want to know if you like IU” 

“Nayo ...” she interrupted him 

“just tell me” 

“no” he said, but for some strange reason Nayoung didn't believe him, he didn't distrust her boyfriend, but the paranoia was so big that it wouldn't let her think rationally 

“I love you” his voice was full of tenderness on the other side of the line, contrary to what the world couls think Jungkook had a soft and empathetic side that very few people could see 

“I'm sorry” Nayoung whispered “I don't know what's wrong with me” 

“You miss since you have a long time without seeing me, that's what happens” she smiled slightly “I also love you Jungkook” 

“why don't we talk until you fall asleep” Nayoung nodded although Jungkook couldn't see her. She knew that her boyfriend was tired and also knew that she missed him like never before. That was the hard part, the time when she couldn't see him even for an hour, ‘cuz he was miles away.

Five days later BTS was back, participating in the anniversary of a musical program, they were the stars of the moment and there was no program that didn’t want to have them. Nayoung was also there and when all the groups gathered to announce the winner of the week the name of Nayoung resonated in the forum, some idols came to congratulate her and then she saw Jungkook walking towards her, without BTS by his side. He leaned a little and smiled at her, she did the same. He smiled complicitly at what Nayoung knew was the boy's intentions. He wanted Nayoung to notice that he was willing to do anything for his girlfriend, not only to cross glances, but to move through the remote crowd far from his group and position himself in front of her. He had smiled at her and had stared at her from the beginning, only her. 

While Nayoung returned to the dressing room she hear some girls muttering. 

“Did you know Jungkook is dating her” 

“really? I envy her so much” 

the brunette smiled triumphantly, she took her cell phone and sent a message 

"Thank you, see you at night" 


	37. Indiscreet

Jungkook had planned a surprise trip to Busan, among his plans was to take Nayoung to her parents' house. He wanted to organize a nice meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Lee and take the opportunity to announce their relationship to them. Nayoung and he were about to celebrate their second anniversary and Jungkook wanted to start putting order in his life. Nayoung arrived early to Busan, fortunately her manager, Mr. Kim had lied to the girl making her believe she would have a presentation. The brunette had fallen asleep on the road and didn’t notice when the van stopped. Jungkook arrived half an hour later, he had made a small change in his agenda so he could see Nayoung, if it wasn't for those extra efforts he would never have time for his girl. He park the car in front of the van and he approached Mr. Kim to get confirmation that Nayoung was already inside her parents' house. If everything went well, Jungkook would stop pretending it was just a coincidence every time they met together in Busan. 

Months ago, when Nayoung wasn’t yet his girlfriend the two had agreed to keep their parents out of the complicated relationship, they didn’t want to end up affecting the friendship between the two families, but Jungkook was simply tired of that situation, he no longer wanted to hide more from Nayoung's parents. 

He sighed, gaining courage to enter inside the house. There sitting in the kitchen were Mrs. and Mr. Lee who received him with a big hug, showing affection of all kinds, Jungkook was no longer a child, but they continued to cuddle him as one.  
“Come on” said Mrs. Lee “Sit down, we're about to eat” he made no mention of Nayoung and felt a little bad about hiding the truth from Mrs. Lee  
“Tell us what brings you here?” Mr. Lee asked, calling the boy's attention  
“I came to Busan and decided to visit you, I wanted to see the old house of my parents” Mr. Lee nodded  
“It's a shame that they sold it” commented Mrs. Lee “just when your mother and I began to unite more”  
“Yes, I know” then he hear a few steps approaching, going down the stairs and jumping to avoid the last two steps  
“Mom? Did anyone knock on the door?” Mrs. Lee smiled, Jungkook also did it even though he ended up cursing himself for being so obvious as he hope Mr. Lee didn't notice it  
“Do you remember Jungkook?” Nayoung put a hand on her lips and the boy had the quick thought that if she wasn’t a singer she could easily be an actress “he came to visit us”  
Nayoung was truly surprised, she didn't expect to see him there. She didn't really expect to see him anywhere, but she knew that her boyfriend had the magnificent ability to sneak a few days to see her and now she began to understand little by little why Mr. Kim had acted so strange all day. Her manager loved to play cupid and you could say that he was a follower of NaKook as fans had baptized her and Jungkook's ship after the video of him approaching her without a good justification went viral  
“Hey” Nayoung tried to sound as natural as possible, her father was staring at her and wondered if he already suspected something, although he immediately smiled and returned the attention to his wife  
“Hey” Jungkook said without paying much attention  
Nayoung opened the refrigerator and poured himself some juice  
“Do you meet often at work?” Mrs. Lee asked  
“not really” answered Nayoung “only sometimes, like in special events or ceremonies”  
“It's a shame” she said “It must be difficult to hide all the time” Jungkook swallowed with difficulty and for a second wish he had the glass with Nayoung juice on hand, was that an indirect or ...  
“I mean you can't talk openly with anyone”  
“Yes, sometimes it is difficult” confessed Nayoung, her father hugged her affectionately trying to comfort her  
“By the way, I recently learned that your boyfriend had finished military service” Nayoung's body tensed immediately, the word boyfriend wasn’t exactly correct much less with Jungkook listening to everything  
"Honey," said Mr. Lee, completely ignoring the frown on Jungkook's face.  
“I already told you that Myungsoo isn’t my boyfriend”  
“I know” Mrs. Lee replied “but you looked so cute together that” Jungkook suddenly stood up  
"Can I use your bathroom?" Mr. Lee nodded, reminding him how to arrive in case he had forgotten. When the boy disappeared from everyone's sight, Nayoung approached his mother  
“I don’t want you to talk about Myungsoo anymore, much less in front of other people” his mother nodded and Nayoung kissed her on the forehead  
“I'm sorry” she apologized “I didn't know it hurt so much to remember” if Jungkook wasn't so close Nayoung would have laughed at her mom's comment, she loved Myungsoo completely and simply couldn't deny her preference for the boy  
“Mom? “  
“ok ok I won't mention him again” Jungkook came back after a few minutes, he looked calmer, but when his gaze met Nayoung's he avoided her immediately. He was angry and she couldn't blame him.  
The next half hour Jungkook focused all his attention on Mr. Lee who was talking about the last documentary he had seen about whales or something, Nayoung still felt uncomfortable but couldn’t find a way to talk to him, so after thinking about it, she came up with the idea of going for food.  
“I'm hungry” she commented before taking her cell phone and pretend to dial a number, she made an order and made sure everyone would hear her say  
“mm ok, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes” she finish the call and then let out a fake sigh “I can't believe they had suspended home delivery” her mom was about to say something when she spoke again, this once in a lower tone “Jungkook?” The boy turned to see her “would it bother you to take me there?” He shook his head  
“Great!” Nayoung shouted “we'll be back in a while” she said goodbye to her parents and advanced to the door, Jungkook followed in silence. They got in the car and when they took the road Nayoung apologized  
“I know it wasn't my mother's intention but I'm sorry her comment made you angry” Jungkook stop the car on the side of the road  
“I'm not mad at her” Jungkook still didn’t look at her “it bothers me that we have to lie to our parents” she nodded “I came here to tell them the truth, but if our relationship doesn't work, I don't want it to affect the friendship between them”  
“I know” Nayoung whispered “ I love how you surprise me all the time” she was smiling “I really like you being with me” Jungkook's anger vanished quickly  
“Really?” he ask She kissed him, softly  
“I love you” he said breaking the kiss and joining his forehead to the boy's  
“I really love you too”  
She was amazing, Jungkook thought, he was still surprised at how easily she fixed the problems. She was special and he was afraid of losing her, because the boy was about to start a world tour and then, he would inevitably have to fulfill his military service, maybe that's why he wanted to make sure she was his, even if it was selfish of him. 


	38. Goodbye

Nayoung had been selected as one of the three MCs of the night. It was the MBC music festival that was held every end of the year. Jungkook watched the girl from the guest area, Taehyung was sitting on his left side and Hoseok on his right side. Jungkook watched carefully the nervous attitude of his girlfriend, it wasn't the first time she participated as MC and the boy couldn’t deny that she looked very tender walking from one side to another trying to talk to the other MC, Kang Daniel former member of Wanna One, Jungkook barely knew him, once or twice he remembered greeting him while the boy talked to Jimin, he was very popular with the girls, at least that seemed every time Nayoung laughed at something Daniel told her and all the fans shouted excitedly . Jungkook wasn’t jealous, he knew that Nayoung had an unequaled charisma, she was also quite popular mainly among the girls and he rarely read negative comments addressed to her. He wasn’t going to deny it from time to time Jungkook read the latest news of his girlfriend, just to keep up with the most recent events and to download some pretty photos. A staff member appeared in front of them calling their attention. The event was about to begin.  
“I can't believe we're the oldest here” Jimin commented “I still remember you were a kid when we debuted”  
“I wasn't a kid” Jungkook complained  
“Oh, you're right you were already a man at fifteen” the maknae frowned  
“Don't worry Kookie we know you're a man now” Taehyung provoked him  
“Look who’s there!” Jimin spoke again pointing to the stage, but Jungkook didn’t turn and then he felt Taehyung pull his shirt sleeve  
"Any of your girlfriends?" He ask following the boy's gaze and he immediately regret it. Jungkook wasn't jealous, he wasn't, unless it was one of Nayoung's ex boyfriends. And there he was, talking to his girlfriend, smiling happily. L from Infinite, his girl's first love. 

Jungkook was upset that Nayoung had forgotten to tell him that little detail, how could she forget to tell him that L would be there with her throughout the ceremony? Maybe she wanted to avoid an argument, one of the two they would have had before and after the event. Now Jungkook had no choice but to tolerate all the jokes and interactions that L had with his girlfriend  
“Kookie?” ask Taehyung  
“Yes?” for the first time he look away from the stage  
"Let it go," Taehyung recommended. "She's your girlfriend and it's her job, it's not worth fighting." Jungkook nodded, V was right, but he couldn't help feeling that pressure in his chest every time L and Nayoung stared at each other, even if it was only for a few seconds. 

  
Two hours later, it was BTS's turn to present a remix of their new songs, Nayoung and Jungkook found themselves behind the scenes. The boy couldn't even find L and was grateful he at least had the decency to stay away from his girl when they weren’t facing the cameras. Nayoung was nervous and now Jungkook knew why  
“I had to tell you” she whisper, the members of BTS were a few meters away and she didn't want to involve them in their relationship problems  
“Maybe if you had told me it wouldn’t have bothered me so much” He was lying, it would have bothered him the same, he would have even been selfish enough to ask Nayoung to refuse that opportunity, he was an idiot and had no excuse to be, but for some reason L made him feel that way, as if Nayoung could run to him at any moment. L was different from Lay, he wasn’t far away, he was Mrs. Lee's favorite and to make it short he had been her first love “we will talk later “ said Jungkook, moving away from Nayoung who looked at him with a wounded expression. Jungkook watched Namjoon reproach him with his eyes and still didn't stop, he disappeared from the room to take refuge in the empty hallway. 

Nayoung reappeared in front of the cameras, she still had a smile on her face, as expected, but Jungkook could notice a slight change in her voice. Daniel introduced BTS and the boys started their performance. Jungkook maintained a neutral expression, he did his part by delivering everything on stage and then returned to his place without talking to anyone.  
The ceremony came to an end an hour later, as usual all the idols gathered to announce the arrival of the new year  
“Go talk to her” Namjoon recommended “or you'll regret behaving like an idiot all night”  
Jungkook didn't even look at him, he knew he was right and this time he listened to his advice, he walked through the crowd towards Nayoung and watched as L did the same, only he was closer, hugging her slightly without caring about nothing else. Jungkook could see it then, the way she looked at him when their bodies separated, as when two souls love each other in silence, meet and promise not to separate even if the distance tells them otherwise. She loved him and he loved her there was no way to deny it, there was no way that someone who saw them would not think how good they looked together. Jungkook knew it, from the first moment and he insisted on denying it a long time even when she told him that she loved him, because she loved him, but didn’t love him as she loved Myungsoo. And that, that broke his heart because he now had two options and both were just as bad.  
1\. He could live with Nayoung, believing that everything was fine, accepted the fact that she would never love him the same way, or  
2\. He could set her free  
He rolled his eyes as a tear fell down his cheek, no matter what he wanted, he couldn't be so selfish. So he opt for the second and walk to Nayoung as a man who has been robbed his own happiness. He greet Myungsoo, his rival, Nayoung's first love and silently asked him to take care of her, because Jungkook was no longer going to be there for her. After everything, what he said to Nayoung that day was true, you cannot continue to be friends with a person you had love. 


	39. Break up

Jungkook took Nayoung to her apartment, the trip despite being short had been very uncomfortable for both of them, neither of them spoke until the car stopped at the door of the building where Nayoung lived  
“Thanks” she said without waiting for any response, she opened the car door determined to get down  
“Nayoung” Jungkook spoke softly  
“Yes? “  
“I think we should stop seeing each other” her heart stopped, she knew that Jungkook was angry but she didn't think he went to such degree, she closed the door and turned to look at him, was he sad? Because his eyes were teary, Jungkook had quickly dodged her eyes and his lips were trembling a little.  
“Kookie” she whispered, taking his hand “I don't think…”  
“Sorry” he said without looking at her “I think I didn’t explain well” he swallow hard and had to gather a lot of courage to say those words that stuck in his throat “I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore” he sentenced, he had to leave Nayoung with no choice or otherwise she would insist on staying by his side, even if that wasn’t her true happiness. The brunette got out of the car completely upset at the boy's attitude. It was true that she had avoided commenting on Myungsoo’s presence in the festival, it wasn’t even she who would participate in the event, Sohee was supposed to be in her place but her friend had fallen ill three days before and for obvious reasons she couldn’t attend. Now she was angry enough to not speak to Jungkook, if he had been able to break up with her, Nayoung didn’t have to tolerate his immature behavior and swallow her pride. She didn't even try to get into her apartment, she took her car keys and drove to Sohee's house, SM had stopped paying for the Venus Vixens dormitory once all the members stopped living in it. Sohee and Nayoung had thought about living together, but she was still with Eunwoo and it was obvious that from time to time they needed time alone, the same happened with Nayoung who sometimes allowed Jungkook to sleep in her apartment.  
Sohee received her with her pajamas on, her hair untidy and her nose was still res from the cold.  
“Are you alone?” Nayoung ask and Sohee nodded, stepping aside for her friend to pass.  
“Can I sleep here tonight?” Sohee nodded again, Nayoung never went to her place to late and that could only mean that something was wrong “if you want you can go to sleep I'm going to watch a movie or something”  
“Don't you want to talk?” Sohee asked, crossing her arms, respecting Nayoung's privacy, but she hadn’t looked for her for nothing and despite her cold Sohee wasn’t going to allow her friend to spend her time alone watching the TV “if you don't want to talk we can just watch a movie” Nayoung nodded and they both lay down on the large L-shaped sofa.  
“Do you want to see a romantic comedy?” Sohee ask  
“No, I want something that makes me forget about love”  
“Then maybe we should have gone to a bar” laughed Sohee “ it's not too late, we may find something open” Nayoung smiled at her  
“You're amazing, I knew I would feel better being with you” the brunette stood up and took a bottle of soju from the cupboard, Nayoung drank a little regardless of manners and then turned to see her friend “I won't give you , you are not supposed to mix drugs with alcohol” Sohee shrugged as she pick a horror movie, that was probably what Nayoung needed, concentrating on not shouting when the monster came out and completely forgetting whatever was going on in her life. 

The girls fell asleep after a few minutes, one due to the natural fatigue caused by her disease and the other due to the three bottles of soju that she had drink. 

Nayoung woke up the next day, her head hurt and a blanket was covering her body, her throat was dry and she urgently needed a glass of water  
“Are you feeling better?” She hear Sohee ask her in the distance  
“no” she murmured, she felt worse, much worse  
“Just what I imagined” Sohee appeared in front of her with a bowl of hot soup and a huge glass of water, she almost looked like an angel, but because of the huge dark circles on her face and her hair made a real mess it didn’t make sense to Nayoung  
“I guess we both look like a couple of homeless people” Nayoung joke  
“At least I have a valid excuse” Sohee defended herself “Don't you want to talk yet?” Nayoung took a drink at the glass of water and immediately felt the liquid moisten her throat  
“Jungkook break up with me” Sohee's eyes widened.  
"Really? But if he's crazy about you, I even thought he'd ask you to marry him any of these days." Nayoung listened to her friend's nonsense in silence, she wasn't crazy, she had also thought that she and Jungkook would end up together, further, mainly because he had tried to speak with her parents  
“He told you why? “Nayoung shrugged his shoulders  
“I guess it wasn't necessary, he got mad because I didn't tell him Myungsoo would be MC”  
“mmm then he's just mad about it” she assure Nayoung “I'm sure he will talk to you tonight, he will ask you to see you, he will apologize and everything will return to normal” 

But it wasn't like that, Jungkook didn't call her at night, not the next day, not a month later, and Nayoung understood that it hadn't been a passing anger, that the boy was really over her and that maybe, it was time to start forgetting him. 


	40. Happy

The Venus Vixens were preparing a new album, they had all paused their individual activities to give their fans what would be their latest album as a group. After finishing the promotions they would announce their disbandment that would conclude with a world tour. The contracts with SM would come to an end in four months and each of the members had plans to focus on various activities. Sohee would focus completely on acting, Nayoung would continue to release solo albums and risk composing her own music, she had a little more experience but still needed improvement, Kim had decided to retire from the industry to start a family next to Ken and Leyla would continue as a MC in different programs.  
After the tour Nayoung promised her parents to take a long vacation in Hawaii. She had worked so hard the last years and also wanted to reward them for always supporting her.  
Nayoung arrived at the SM building, she parked her car and took the elevator to the third floor, greeting a few trainees who were walking through the corridors, every year she felt more strange. SM constantly added young people or even children through auditions. She was barely twenty”six years old and already felt that she didn’t fit completely in that environment, she wondered where she would be in ten years.  
She entered a studio and apologized when she found it occupied by another person, she was hoping she could comment something to the producer of her new album, but she realized that it wasn’t him, there was a thin young man inside, with a dark cap that covered his eyes, blue shirt and black pants “I'm sorry” she said with a bow “ I'm looking for producer Song” the boy nodded  
“He just left” answered a voice that was too familiar “you can come in” Nayoung nodded, and entered the studio immediately recognizing the boy's perfume, she didn’t know what to say and just sat quietly next to him. Yixing didn't even look at her, he was moving some controls on the board and he seemed too focused. He looked different, his face was more mature, he gave the impression that he was more serious than normal and how could he not be if she was still Jungkook's girlfriend the last time he saw her?  
“You worry too much” Yixing finally spoke “I'm not mad at you” Nayoung felt her heart racing, how did he know what she was thinking? Then she let out a sigh and turned to look at him  
“I really don't know what to tell you”  
“Why don't we start with a nice to see you again Yixing oppa? “ Nayoung laughed, feeling relieved to see that Yixing was still the same  
“I'm glad to see you” she said with a smile on her face  
“Yixing oppa? “  
“Yixing oppa” she repeated  
“I'm also glad to see you Nayi” he pounced at her and ruffled her hair “I really missed being here, with my friends” he smiled at her “you’re are also my friend, you will always be” he reminded her < br /> “Thank you” Nayoung whispered and hugged him tenderly, Yixing's body reacted immediately returning the gesture  
“You know? “ he said “there is someone I would like you to meet”  
“Only if it's the one you're going to marry” Nayoung made it clear, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow  
“I think she is the one” Yixing confessed “even I already proposed to her and she accepted”  
“If so, I have no problem giving my blessings to both of you” Yixing smiled at her, with the same kindness as always, there was no longer any discomfort between them, and Nayoung couldn't help remembering Jungkook's words, she had never agreed, Even after sharing everything in a relationship, a beautiful friendship could still exist. Maybe Yixing and she had needed a lot of time to get to that point, to understand without any resentment that their happiness was not in staying together, but finally after healing the wounds they could share that small and significant moment where Nayoung felt very happy that Yixing had found love again. 


	41. 18 months later

It had been a year and a half since the last time Nayoung saw Jungkook, the boy hadn't bothered to call her or even send her a message and she frankly hadn't done it either. For a long time she thought about asking for an explanation, but over the months she understood that sometimes it is not necessary to know all the answers.  
Nayoung's cell phone rang  
“Where are you?” Sohee yelled across the line  
“I'm coming” Nayoung was lying to her, she still had fifteen minutes to go to the restaurant, but she knew how punctual and impatient Sohee was and didn't want her to lecture her on the phone  
“ I don’t believe a word you're saying” Nayoung was triying not to laugh  
“If you turn to the window you will see me” Sohee was silent and Nayoung took the opportunity to end the call.  
Fifteen minutes later Nayoung entered the restaurant, her heart beating fast and his cheeks flushed.  
“I'm going to kill you” Sohee murmured when Nayoung sat in front of her  
“I'm sorry” she apologize “There was a lot of traffic”  
“Yeah for sure, as if we didn't live in the same city”  
“Well, well at least I'm here” Nayoung raised his arms “Have you ordered yet?” Sohee denied  
“I've been asking just for water since half an hour, if it wasn't for the autograph I gave to the waiter, I'm sure they would have already kick me out of here”  
“Please Sohee, there is nothing that your smile cannot achieve, after all who can resist the charm of the most acclaimed actress in Korea?”  
“correction, the most acclaimed actress under thirty years”she clarified as both laughed  
“at least you still have some humility” Sohee pouted and Nayoung laughed again. That girl was definitely her best friend, only she knew her secrets, her weaknesses and knew that she could always count on her unconditional support”  
“Well” Sohee took a drink at the glass with water that was already half empty “how long will you be in Busan?”  
“Only two days, I have to go back to an autograph session”  
“It's a shame” said her friend “I was looking forward to accompanying you, but we are in a hurry to finish the recordings before September”  
“Maybe you can go with me next time”  
“ Yes I will”  
The waiter appeared to take their order, he was a handsome young man and Nayoung didn't have to see him twice to understand that Sohee had completely conquered him with just one look. The boy retired a minute later  
“Don't take advantage of him” Nayoung told her  
“Don't be jealous of my natural gift, it’s also your fault for being so late” she defended herself  
“I still wonder where is that girl who use to hide just to see EXO in their practice room “ Nayoung began to raise her voice “What was his name, oh yes, Sehun, you were completely in love with him and you became like a tomato when someone mentioned him “ Sohee turned to see her as if she could kill her with her eyes  
“I guess he juust lost his opportunity”  
“Well” said Nayoung “in Yixing's wedding he confessed that you had always caught his attention” Sohee opened her eyes and approached her  
“Are you serious? “ Nayoung laughed out loud, watching her friend's cheeks blush  
“do not laugh, you know well I had always been his fan” Nayoung winked at her  
“Don't make me angry or you'll see your name in the header tomorrow, it would be great to read your name, EXO's Sehun and Cha Eunwoo forming a love triangle”  
“Lee Nayoung stop torturing me” 

Sohee said goodbye to her an hour later just in time for Nayoung to get to Busan before night. It was inevitable to go down the road without thinking about how her life had changed, she was still living alone in the apartment, in recent months she had acquired a complex with a portion of her savings and rented the offices, the area was in great demand for its commercial activity , so Nayoung had no problem keeping the premises occupied. She had again offered her parents to move to Seoul, but they still refused, they convince her that life in Busan was quieter. Despite this, Nayoung had more opportunities to travel to visit them, sometimes she felt lonely but she also knew that it was due to her constant avoidance of having a romantic relationship, not that she depended on a man, but ultimately there were days when she was just looking for some comfort next to someone, she wanted to have dinner accompanied and to talk about a day with a partner, someone who would listen and be there when things got tough, she had met some people at that time, but none attracted her attention, none seemed to seek the same as her. Nayoung realized that she had already reached her parents' house. She park the car and notice another one, maybe his parents had buy it, although it didn’t seem the style of either. It was a black sports car in perfect condition. Nayoung opened the door and found that the car was in fact not of her parents, the silhouette of a man turned his back on the girl, dark hair perfectly combed falling to the height of the ears, he was dressed completely in black except for the white shirt that peeked out under the jacket. Nayoung recognized him immediately and the eternal smile on his mother's face fully confirmed her suspicions  
“Guess who has come to see us?” asked her mother  
He turned and his eyes met hers, then time stopped and Nayoung could only hear her heartbeat accelerating again through her chest  
“I couldn't wait to see you again” he said approaching her to greet her, his arms wrapped around her gently. She hadn’t see him in a year and a half, she didn’t heard nothing about him at all and still wondering why she continued to react that way every time she had him close again. 


	42. Hurt

That night after returning to his apartment he threw the cell phone out the window, he was furious with himself for stop fighting for Nayoung, but he knew it was the right decision. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol, in the midst of the night in his room, everything reminded him of her, everything brought back her beautiful smile and the sad expression in her face while he was breaking up with her. Her scent was still impregnated in the pillow of the left side on his bed and there was no way alcohol made her absence a little more tolerable. 

The tour began a couple of days later, everyone was very busy, except for Hoseok who said goodbye to his fiancee. Jungkook couldn’t help feeling jealous, the happy couple will only separate for a few weeks and then she will reach him to continue the tour together. It was then that he regretted being stupid, he touched his pants pockets and remembered that he didn’t have his cell phone, which he had thrown away  
“Are you ok?" Taehyung asked behind his back  
“I need to make a call” V reached out and lent him his phone  
“Then do it” he said before turning around and getting back with the rest of BTS. Jungkook dialed the number and stopped before pressing the last key, he couldn’t do it, he had no right to do so. He return the cell phone to Taehyung as he saw him with a confused expression, he knew his friend wasn’t ok, but he wasn't sure why his face reflected a deep sadness  
“Do you think they got into a fight?” Taehyung mutter. Namjoon who managed to listen to him, ask him  
“What are you talking about? “  
“Do you know if something happened with Jungkook and Nayoung?” BTS leader shook his head  
“I only knew that he would take her home”  
“I'm not sure but Jungkook doesn't look good at all”  
“You're right” Namjoon nodded, contemplating the silhouette of the boy who had stayed away from them. 

The following month was exactly the same, Jungkook disappeared most of the time and only allowed himself to be seen for rehearsals and meetings that were completely obligatory, he was no longer joking and his eyes had turned blank, without any expression, he was distracted all the time and the boys were convinced that in the end nothing was right between him and Nayoung.  
Jimin was almost going to call Nayoung, but Taehyung stopped him  
“We don't really know what happened between them, maybe she was the one who asked for a time”  
“I don't like to see him like this” confessed Jimin  
“I don't like it either" V assure him “but it's something that Jungkook has to fix on his own”  
After eight months the boys returned to Korea, Jungkook was more cheerful and lively, he was talking again with the boys and making jokes from time to time. When they arrived at the airport Jungkook said goodbye immediately, he got into his car and drove with only one destination in mind. He parked the car and walked towards the elevator, but something stopped him, the silhouette of L. Jungkook followed him in silence, he had to know if he and Nayoung were a couple now, he had to remove that doubt quickly or he was going to go crazy . He had waited nine months to see her again, he had believed that he will get over her with distance and time, but it wasn't like that, every part of him still loved her. Myungsoo took the elevator and Jungkok stay in the first floor waiting for him until the elevator stop, reaching its destination. Myungsoo stopped at Nayoung's floor. Jungkook experienced a deep sadness, as if someone tried to tear away his heart and he cursed himself for being so weak for looking for her again as if he had a chance with Nayoung, it was true that he had been a coward for letting her go like this, for hiding from memories, but no one could understand the pain he experienced since the day he gave up on her. No one could understand it, so he was sure that no one was as stupid to free the woman he loved. He got into the elevator just to check the inevitable and when he reached Nayoung's floor, Jungkook couldn’t leave. Myungsoo was standing there, halfway down the hall, sunk in his thoughts. Jungkook saw him, he turn around and press the button to return to the parking lot, the doors closed just in time so Myungsoo couldn't see him. Jungkook hurried back to his vehicle and from afar he could see the other boy getting into his car and leaving that place. Then he realized that Nayoung and he haven’t been seeing each other, that Myungsoo had gone to look for her and like him, he didn't have the courage to speak with her. 

Four months later Jungkook began his military service, his family was there to say goodbye, BTS was also officially no longer a group, but their friendship ties were strong enough to hold them together. Only one person was absent and Jungkook was sure she would not attend his farewell. 


	43. Proposal

It was after twelve when Myungsoo and Nayoung were finally alone, Mr. and Mrs. Lee had gone to bed to rest and it was clear that the boy still had no intention of leaving. Nayoung and he were catching up on everything that had happened in their lives  
“So Sohee told you I would come here? “  
“Let's say that wasn’t exactly her intention”  
“ Shall we? “  
“I had to bribe her a little”  
“With what? “  
“It's a secret” Myungsoo told her, putting a finger in his mouth, Nayoung rolled her eyes expressing disagreement  
“Either way, I'm glad you came, my mom is still crazy about you” Myungsoo laughed  
“I'm very happy that she still considers me your boyfriend” Nayoung raised an eyebrow  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Your father told me about an occasion when your mother was talking about my release from military service and she refer to me as your boyfriend” Nayoung nodded laughing, remembering that time “your dad also said that Jungkook was there when she did” Nayoung's smile was automatically deleted, nobody near her had mention Jungkook, not even her mom or Sohee  
“It's true” Nayoung recognized “Jungkook's parents lived aside and they became good friends with my parents, that's why they never knew about my relationship with him” Myungsoo nodded  
“I know you both aren’t together anymore” that comment took her by surprise  
“How did you know? “  
“Because he looked for me that same night when we MC together” Nayoung felt something was blocking her throat, she have no idea about it “He was looking for me to tell me not to give up on you”  
“I didn't know” the girl whispered “we haven't talked since then”  
“Do you still love him? “  
“No” denied Nayoung “it hurt a lot to know that from one day to the next he simply forgot about me”  
“Even when I just told you this? “ she nodded  
“He gave up on me, without asking my opinion about it, that hurts me even more” Myungsoo watched her carefully, she was no longer the confused and frightened teenager from whom she had separated one day, the Nayoung that was in front of him, she still kept the charismatic smile, her eyes full of sincerity and yet it seemed different, more focused, more mature and stronger. Myungsoo had forbidden himself to look for her, it was clear that Jungkook's sacrifice had been with good intention and yet, he didn’t intend to play dirty, he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation, the pain and confusion that the girl must have felt at that time, so he wait patiently for her to recover. He wanted that if Nayoung accepted him again in her life she would be fully aware of her decision. Myungsoo stroked her hair gently, sliding his fingers between the strands, breathing her scent, filling his lungs with the sweet essence and then he confessed  
“ I really wanted to see you, every day that has passed I have struggled to not go looking for you and many times I have been very close to doing so, I have stayed hours outside your building waiting for you to leave, for fate to reunite us. I wanted to meet you again and, here I am after a year and a half because I couldn’t find a better date to see you, if we were still together today would be the day when we would celebrate our anniversary” Myungsoo watched her trying to decipher her gaze and it was impossible for him because Nayoung was experiencing a lot of emotions at the time, emotions that included her present and past  
“I'm not sure ...” she manage to say before Myungsoo interrupted her  
“You don't have to be” he assure her “because I can wait for you, I'll give you the time you need, no matter if it's a week or three years, I'm going to wait for you, there’s no one else who has made me as happy as you did and there is no one else with whom I want to spend the rest of my life”  
“Seems lime a marriage proposal” Nayoung said half joking  
“It is” Myungsoo said “this time I will not lose you again” Nayoung didn’t say anything, instead she curled up next to him letting the minutes pass. 


	44. Second chance

Nayoung woke up very early, they were going to celebrate New year's eve, that night she would spend it with Myungsoo, neither of them had agreed to work that day, they wanted to spend it together exclusively. A month after meeting at her parents' house, Myungsoo had asked her to be his girlfriend and she had happily accepted  
“Maybe we should give ourselves a new opportunity, maybe the Myungsoo I met is right and it is our destiny to be together” the boy nodded kissing her passionately, there was not a day when he didn’t remember that moment, when he didn’t want to run by her side and yell at the world that he loved her, that this woman had stolen his heart years ago and had never given it back. Nayoung corresponded his kiss as she intertwined her hands with his, it was to much to admit it but they fit perfectly as if they were destined to be one.  
“I want you to be mine forever” Myungsoo confessed separating a little, Nayoung smiled at him with that smile that took away his breath, that smile that gave him strength to continue living.  
Her parents were more than happy with their decision and Nayoung was sure that her mother had hugged Myungsoo more than she hugged Nayounh, but she didn't care, maybe her mother had been able to see the love between them despite their youth. 

After five months of being together, Myungsoo and she no longer cared to hide their relationship, it wasn’t that they confirmed to everyone that they were together but they also didn’t try to hide it. And it was just now, that Nayoung received a call from her manager  
“They have pictures of you kissing him, entering your apartment at dawn and leaving the next day” Nayoung laughed at the situation  
“What do they want?”  
“Money or they will publish them” a slight smile appeared on the girl's face  
“I don't care if they do, but I'll talk to Myungsoo before giving you an answer” her manager nodded and ended the call  
Seconds later, as if by magic her cell phone announced an incomming call, it was Myungsoo  
“I was about to call you” Nayoung told him  
“Because of the photos? “  
“Yes” she confirmed  
“If you want I can pay them”  
“Just if you want” she said “I don't care if the world knows we're together” Myungsoo laughed  
“Ok, let them have their new year exclusive” Nayoung nodded  
“At what time will you be here with me? “  
“I'm on my way” Myungsoo confessed, taking her by surprise, he was supposed to arrive until night “I can't wait to see you” 

At nightfall, she and Myungsoo went for a walk. Nayoung was wearing a silver dress that wore a flirtatious neckline and showed one of her legs. Myungsoo had opted for a black suit that highlighted his well formed body, the truth was that Myungsoo shone on his own, he was extremely attractive. He had rented a yacht for both of them. They had dinner at the incredible view of the Han River in front of them. The food was exquisite as always. Myungsoo was very careful with every detail, he chose everything perfectly and always made sure that Nayoung was happy, that night was no exception. 

They went outside the yacht, to contemplate the sky, waiting to observe the fireworks. Nayoung could feel Myungsoo's breathing very close to her, mainly when he came closer to whisper in her ear  
“I can't wait for us to be together forever”  
“Isn't that what we are doing?”  
“Not as I would like” he said and Nayoung could see how Myungsoo knelt in front of her exposing in a little box a beautiful ring  
“Will you marry me?” Nayoung's eyes filled with tears, she leaned toward Myungsoo  
"Yes," she said excitedly, "I would marry you as many times as you asked." Myungsoo smiled at her, he placed the ring on her finger, sliding it gently and she kissed him. The fireworks appeared just in time with the beautiful scene. 

The article of both having a relationship was published at that moment and Myungsoo made sure to immediately confirm that Nayoung wasn’t only his girlfriend, now she was also his fiancee. 


	45. The end

Sohee made sure that Nayoung looked perfect, she arranged some final details of her hairstyle and then smiled satisfied contemplating Nayoung's beauty. The white princess-cut dress highlighted Nayoung's waist, fitting perfectly at the top, the exquisite diamond necklace adorning her neck elegantly and brown hair falling up to her waist in soft slings, combed in a half ponytail. She looked like a princess and Myungsoo looked like a prince, Sohee had to recognize that they were perfect for each other, they were like two characters from a fairy tale and she could only wish happiness to her friend.  
Nayoung smiled at her trying to control the tears, her mother and her best friend were there with her, on that important day and she felt very blessed to know that very soon Myungsoo and she would be together forever. 

Music flooded the corridor of the church that Nayoung walked next her father, her closest friends were there including Irene, Dongwoo, Sunggyu, Yixing and Sehun. 

Myungsoo watched her all the time, feeling the pride of having such a woman by his side. He took her hand when she reached his side and thanked her father for allowing him to start a new life with her.  
Nayoung smiled, he also smiled, it was impossible not to.  
And when the time came to say his vows, Myungsoo couldn’t contain the tears. He was happy, very happy to be able to share his life with Nayoung. After so much time, so many tears and so much effort to stay together he could finally say that Nayoung was his wife.  
Nayoung accepted immediately and they both merged into a tender kiss, full of love that they would remember forever  
“I love you Lee Nayoung” he said as he slid a second ring through her ring finger  
“I love you too Kim Myungsoo” her forehead gently recharged on his and then she couldn't help crying with joy, with happiness, because for the first time fate was doing its job well, for the first time she had no doubts, no resentments, just love and the desire to start a life with the love of her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you've enjoyed this fanfic. Thank you for reading it 
> 
> :)


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